Flat-Belly Ballerina Moves: Tone Your Stomach

Ballerinas have extremely strong abdominal muscles, which help them hold their bodies upright and maintain their good posture. Luckily for ballerinas, their strong cores also mean that they have toned backs.

If you'd like a ballerina's flat belly, try the following exercises. Be sure to focus on lengthening muscles and lifting through the carriage and spine.

1. Back Stretch
Stand with your left side facing a chair and your left hand resting on it. Bring your legs together with your heels touching but your toes pointing out on a diagonal. Extend your right arm up toward the ceiling. Bend your upper body forward with a flat back. Reach your hand to the floor and let your head and neck release. Round your back, bring your navel to your spine and roll up one vertebra at a time. Go slowly and take your time rolling up to starting position. You should be able to do three of these correctly in one minute.

2. Curl-ups
Kneel on the floor and sit on your heels. Keep your back nice and straight. Tilt your pelvis up and lift your buttocks off your rear as you scoop your abs up and in. Sit all of the way up and extend your arms out at shoulder height. Then push down with your arms as you sit back on your heels.

3. Starfish
Sit with your left leg bent in front of you on the floor and your right leg bent upward to the side over your left leg, with the toe pointed on the floor. Place the palm of your left hand on the floor and bend your right arm, placing the elbow on your right knee. Lift your hips up and extend your right leg straight out at hip height and your right arm straight alongside your head in one line, so you're balancing on your left knee and hand. Hold for 30 seconds. Switch sides and repeat.




4. Leg scissors
Lie on your back with your legs extended straight up toward the ceiling. Place your arms by your sides with your palms on the floor and life your head, neck and shoulders off the floor. Slowly lower your right leg down so that it hovers about four to five inches off the floor. Then, as you bring it back up toward the ceiling, lower your left leg. Flatten out your tummy and point your toes. Complete for one minute.




5. Cross Lift
Begin in the same position you are in for leg scissors, with your hands behind your head. As you bring your left leg up toward the ceiling, extend your right arm toward it. Then as you bring your right leg up toward the ceiling, extend your left arm up toward it. Complete for one minute.




6. Can Can
Sit on the floor with your hands behind your back and your legs bent and lifted off the floor. Straighten the legs as you bring them to the left. Then bend them and straighten then as you bring them to the right. Keep alternating for one minute.




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