Day 12 lightens the load on your abs and hands it to the structures behind them. The circuit is bridges, single leg raises on one side, the same on the other, and back extensions - 30 seconds each. This is not a full core session and it is not a day off either: it is the hips, the lower back and the connective tissue that supports all of it, getting a session of their own while the front of your torso comes down a gear.
Bridges open by driving the hips up off the floor from a bent-knee start, which loads the glutes and the whole posterior chain and gives the hip flexors - busy all week - something to be stretched against. The two leg raise panels are done seated and leaning back on your hands, lifting one straight leg at a time; 30 seconds per side means each hip flexor and quad gets an equal, unhurried shift while the arms and trunk simply hold you up. Back extensions close face down, lifting the chest to strengthen the muscles running either side of the spine. Tendons and the lower back respond to steady, unglamorous work far better than they do to intensity, and that is precisely what this card is.
At the top of each bridge, squeeze the glutes and stop when your body forms a straight line from knees to shoulders - arching the lower back to gain extra height defeats the exercise. In the seated leg raises, sit tall through the chest rather than slumping into your shoulders, keep the raised leg straight and lower it under control instead of dropping it. In back extensions, lift smoothly, hold for a beat at the top and keep the movement small enough that it stays in your back rather than your neck.
A lighter day for the abs is not a light day - the back and hips are collecting what they are owed.
Make it Harder: Hold the top of every bridge for a slow three-count before lowering, and keep the hips level throughout.
Make it Easier: Bend the knee slightly on the seated leg raises to shorten the lever.
