Day 3 introduces the other kind of cardio this program uses. Part I is 30 minutes spread throughout the day: walk, jog, run, bike, swim or row, or any combination of them. It does not have to be one block - three ten-minute walks add up to the same thirty minutes, and that is exactly the point of the wording. Part II is an abs circuit: 6 sit-ups, 12 sitting twists and 12 flutter kicks, done in order as one set, rested for up to 2 minutes, and repeated for the level's set count of 3, 4 or 5.
Three exercises, three different jobs for the trunk. Sit-ups flex the whole torso against the floor. Sitting twists lift the feet and rotate the shoulders from side to side, which brings the obliques in, 12 twists in total alternating direction. Flutter kicks keep both legs hovering and kick them in small alternating strokes, loading the lower abs and hip flexors while the lower back stays pressed down. The sit-up count is low by design: 6 complete sit-ups with no arm swing and no bounce does more than a big number of half ones. The cardio being spread through the day means the circuit can sit wherever it fits.
For sit-ups, keep the knees bent and the feet on the floor, reach the hands forward past the knees at the top and lower with control. For sitting twists, lean back until the abs engage, lift the feet, and turn the shoulders toward one side then the other without letting the feet touch down. For flutter kicks, keep the legs straight and low, the kicks small and quick, and the lower back glued to the floor - if it lifts, raise the legs a little higher.
Thirty minutes of moving spread across the day and a few minutes of abs at the end of it - Day 3 shows how this program fits into a life.
Make it Harder: Do the flutter kicks with the hands hovering above the floor instead of tucked under the hips.
Make it Easier: Bend the knees for the flutter kicks and keep the sit-ups to 4 per set.
