How to Tighten Up Abs With Stretch Marks on Your Stomach

Stretch marks are one of the unfortunate side effects of pregnancy. They are also the result of extreme weight loss in a short amount of time. Basically, the skin in the abdomen gets stretched to the point where elastin fibers are damaged. The by-product of this is striations on the skin called stretch marks. After stretch marks appear, they may not be able to disappear, but there are definitely ways to tighten up the abs.

Things You'll Need

• Medicine ball
• BOSU
• Weighted jump rope
• Swiss ball
• Kettlebell

Instructions

1. 

   Do plank lifts. Lie on your stomach. Place your hands by your shoulders with your elbows bent and spread your feet about shoulder-width apart. Push yourself up into the air until your arms are fully extended. Now drop your hips down towards the floor until they are about 2 inches above it. Lift your hips back up and push your weight back towards your heels. Do three sets of 15 reps.

2. Jump some rope. Use a weighted jump rope. After a 10 to 15 minute warm-up, do 10 sets of 100 with 30-second rest periods in between. Using a weighted jump rope will intensify the work on the abdominals. Perform this routine three days a week on alternating days of the ab exercises.

3. 

   Do BOSU runners. Flip a BOSU over so the dome side is down. Grab a hold of the sides of the BOSU and come into a plank position. Now alternate bringing each knee towards your chest. Act as if you are running in a horizontal plane. Don't allow your toes to touch the floor when you are bringing your knees forward. This will put more emphasis on the ab muscles. Do three sets of 15 reps. One rep is when both knees have come up and back.

4. 

   Rotate to the sides. Grab a medicine ball and sit on a Swiss ball. Extend your arms straight out in front of you. Now slowly rotate to the right and then the left. Keep your head in line with the ball at all times and keep your back straight. Do three sets of 15 reps. One rep is going back and forth.

5. 

   Do cross crunches. Lie on a BOSU so your lower back is contacting it and your upper body is slightly elevated. Place your right foot on the floor, your right hand behind your ear and your left hand on your hip. Extend your left leg out straight and slightly off the floor. Now bend your knee and bring your leg back towards your body. Try to touch your right elbow to your left knee then extend your leg back out. Do three sets of 15 reps for each side.

6. 

   Swing a kettlebell. Stand behind the kettlebell in a wide stance, in bare feet. Bend over and pick it up with both hands comfortably on the handle. Let your arms hang down in front of your body. Bend your knees slightly and swing the kettlebell forward until it is parallel to the ground. Swing it continuously back and forth. Try to produce the force through your heels. Pop your hips forward when you bring it up and use your core to decelerate it on the way down. Do three sets of 20 to 25 swings.

7. Put it all together. Do your ab routines three days a week on alternating days of your rope jumping. Follow this order: plank lifts, BOSU runners, seated medicine ball rotations, BOSU cross crunches and kettlebell swings. Start with a 5 to 10 minute warm-up and take 45 to 60 second rest periods between each set and routine. Take one day off to go for a relaxing walk.

Tips & Warnings

• Doing plank lifts is like alternating between a downward and upward dog in yoga. If the plank lift is too intense, start out doing them on your forearms.