Jennifer Aniston is known for her disciplined training routine, which for the past five years has incorporated the Pvolve method to develop strength and mobility. Much of her progress comes from working with personal trainer Dani Coleman.
‘Jennifer just trust[s] me to put her through it,’ Coleman said recently.
Coleman, who places strong emphasis on core training, has shared five ab-focused moves using minimal equipment. They’re designed to target all your key core muscles, like your rectus abdominis (‘six-pack’ muscles) and the transverse abdominis, the deepest abdominal muscle, which wraps around your torso like a corset.
‘[Here’s] a Monday movement reset for you,’ Coleman said. ‘If you’re feeling a little unmotivated, meet me on the mat and try this quick 10-minute core workout using a small exercise ball.’
Dani Coleman’s 5 go-to core moves
Try 12-15 reps of each movement. Rest 45-60 seconds between movements and repeat the whole sequence 2-3x
1. Superman with ball pass
- Lie on your stomach with arms and legs raised slightly off the floor. Hold the exercise ball in your right hand above your head.
- Engage your core and raise your chest off the floor, bringing your arms down and behind your body in a controlled arc, passing the ball from your right hand to your left behind your back.
- Lower your chest back to the floor as you sweep your arms forward and overhead, still holding the ball in your left hand.
- Repeat the sequence but in the opposite direction: raise your chest off the floor and bring your arms down behind you to pass the ball from your left hand to your right.
- Lower your chest and raise your arms back up over your hand, holding the ball in your right hand.
2. Alternating heel taps
- Lie on your back with the ball placed under your glutes. Raise your legs and bend your knees until they’re roughly at a 90º angle. Keep your hands by your sides
- Brace your core and gently lower one leg until your heel touches the floor, or until you lose ab tension – don’t let your lower back arch.
- Repeat on the other leg.
3. Crunch
- Lie on your back and place the ball under your mid back, around your lower shoulder blades. Keep your feet flat on the floor about hip-width apart.
- Place your fingertips lightly behind your ears so your head so is raised off the floor, and you’re supporting your head without pulling.
- Create ab tension and curl up to a half-seated position, not losing contact with the ball. Keep your neck neutral and look straight ahead.
- Pause briefly, then lower back down to the beginning.
4. Same-side bicycle crunch
- Lie on your back holding the ball in front of chest with your elbows pointed out. Keep your shoulders relaxed.
- Create core tension and raise your legs so they’re about a foot off the floor, or as high as you can go without your lower back losing contact with the ground.
- Bicycle kick by bringing one knee towards your chest. At the same, twist your torso to bring the same-side elbow to meet your knee.
- Repeat on the other side.
5. Mountain climbers
- Place the ball on the ground. Holding the ball with your hands on top, get into a high plank with shoulders stacked directly over your wrists and your body forming a straight line from your head to your heels.
- Bring one knee towards your core with control, engaging your abs and making sure not to hunch your neck – instead keep it neutral and your eyes slightly ahead of the ball.
- Pause briefly, then return your leg to the start position.
- Repeat on the other side.
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