There is never a bad time for us tennis players to work the core. Your core is your abs and glutes, a major muscle group that supports your back and pelvis. So, you can understand why we were stoked to see tennis superstar Venus Williams share a 17-minute butt and abs workout that works this whole section of your body. With 27 years of professional tennis (and counting) under her belt, “Queen Vee” knows a thing or two about staying in tip-top shape and avoiding injury, and having a strong and stable core is a major factor.
This workout, which starts at about the three-minute mark in the video above, includes the following:
- a glute-bridge section
- a clamshell section, and
- a closing core burnout filled with bicycle crunches, hollow holds, and Pilates 100s
Seriously… my core is burning right now just thinking about it! Throughout the workout, Venus Williams shares inside tips from her own training and expertise, including the importance of glute activation. Activating or “turning on” your muscles before you work them ensures that the strength training will be effective in growing or strengthening the muscle, as well as helping you avoid injury. The former World No. 1 said:
That’s why we’re doing some of these functional exercises — even though they burn! We challenge these muscles and then the muscles will thank us later.
Hit play on her video to work your glutes and abs with Coach Venus. We can assure you that you’ll be shaking by the end. (Note: Venus uses a dumbbell in the workout, but you can do it without.)
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