Total Abs finishes the way it has tested you all month: holding still. Six positions, a 10-count each, moving from one to the next with no break - a full plank on your hands, an elbow plank, another elbow plank, an elbow plank with one arm extended straight forward, an elbow plank with one leg lifted off the floor, and a side plank on your forearm to close. Sixty counts a lap, rest up to two minutes, repeat for your level.
This sequence is the third and last of its kind and it is built around a single new position. The one-arm-extended plank takes a hand off the floor and reaches it forward, which narrows your base at the loaded end and makes the whole trunk resist rolling toward the supporting side - it is the hardest thing to hold in the sequence and it sits fourth, right in the middle of the run. On either side of it, plain elbow planks give you just enough to keep the line without giving you a rest. The leg lift and the side plank then finish the sequence at the two extremes: a narrowed base at the bottom end, and the whole body turned onto its side.
Sixty continuous counts rewards patience over effort. Set the line before the first count starts, keep the glutes and abs both switched on, and breathe steadily through all six positions. In the arm extension, reach forward rather than up and keep the hips absolutely square - a shorter reach with level hips beats a long one with a twist. In the side plank, stack the shoulders and lift the bottom hip clear of the floor for the whole count.
Thirty days ago you held these positions to learn them - today you hold them because you can.
Make it Harder: Run poses four, five and six a second time leading with the other arm and the other leg before you take your rest.
Make it Easier: Take every position for a 5-count instead of 10 and keep all six in the sequence.
