“Even now, at 46, I feel super strong,” — Gisele Bündchen says these 5 “slow, intentional” Pilates exercises built her core
[post_content]
Disclaimer: This article has been automatically aggregated from
Having a strong core is essential as you get older — it protects your lower back from injury, helps maintain good posture, and reduces your overall risk of injury. Someone keen to spread this message is fitness advocate (and supermodel) Gisele Bündchen, famous for her sculpted midsection.
In a video posted to her Instagram, Gisele shared that “even now, at 45, I feel super strong” thanks to these five “slow, intentional” Pilates exercises. The model credits the exercises with helping her rebuild her core following the birth of her third child and says she wishes she had known about them sooner.
Gisele adds in her caption, “I’m not a doctor or physical therapist. This is simply me sharing my personal postpartum experience and what worked for my body. Everyone is different, so please listen to your body and check with your healthcare provider before trying anything new.”
Latest Videos FromTom’s Guide
What are the exercises?
All of these Pilates exercises work on the deep core muscles and pelvic floor. You won’t need any additional equipment, but using one of the best yoga mats can keep things more comfortable.
Gisele says she started with sets of 5 reps of each exercise before moving on to sets of 10. She now does sets of 20 reps.
1. Bear plank lift
- Start on all fours, with your wrists stacked underneath your shoulders and your knees bent at 90 degrees.
- Push into the floor and tuck your toes. Inhale and engage your abs, thinking about squeezing your belly button to your spine as you push the floor away.
- As you exhale, lift your knees a few inches off the floor and hold here for a few seconds.
- On your next inhale, tap your knees back to the floor and repeat.
2. Bear plank knee tap
- Maintaining the same bear plank position as above, keep your knees hovering a few inches above the ground throughout.
- As you inhale, engage your core and lift to tap your knees together underneath your body.
- On the exhale, take them back to your starting position.
- Keep tapping your knees and gently lifting and lowering in each position.
3. Bear plank twist
- Your abs will probably be screaming by now, but while remaining in the bear plank with your knees hovering off the floor, rotate your hips to one side, lowering the opposite knee to the floor.
- Keep your abs engaged throughout and your shoulders steady as you keep switching sides.
4. Bear plank toe tap
- You’ll hold your bear plank position and tap one foot, then the other, a few inches out to the side.
- Keep your core engaged and your hips level throughout.
5. Bear plank knee drive
- For the final exercise, hold your bear plank and bring one knee in toward your torso — this doesn’t have to be a big movement; it’s not a mountain climber.
- Return to your starting position and repeat on the other side.
- Think about keeping your core engaged and your hips level throughout.
What are the benefits?
As you’ll soon find out if you attempt Gisele’s routine, the bear plank is a killer isometric hold that blasts your deep core. Your abs have to stay engaged to support your body weight in this move, and your quads will also be getting a workout.
Unlike crunches or sit-ups, the bear plank works your core while keeping your spine neutral. This protects your lower back and also works your shoulder and upper back stabilizers. The bent-knee position makes it easier to keep your pelvis in a neutral alignment, too. It’s important to think about engaging your pelvic floor muscles during this move — I like to imagine I’m sucking my abs up and in.
It’s likely these low-impact moves will raise your heart rate, and you’ll probably feel the circuit in your shoulders, core, and legs once you’ve finished. Hats off to Gisele; this might be my new go-to ab routine.
Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Alternatively, you can read our content on the Tom’s Guide app available now for iOS and Android.
More from Tom’s Guide
for informational purposes only. We do not claim ownership, accuracy, or liability for the content provided. All rights belong to the original publisher.