Continuing our series of workout moves that create obscure body parts, the Cut asked dance-cardio queen Anna Kaiser of AKT in Motion to teach us how to get the “Dancer V” — that V-shape commonly seen in the lower-stomach area of chiseled athletes with ultra-toned lower abdomens.
Kaiser, a former chief content officer for Tracy Anderson (and professional dancer for over 15 years), sculpts the bodies of Sarah Jessica Parker, Shakira, and the perma-toned Kelly Ripa. Using her blended yoga-pilates-dance technique, she showed us, via seven GIFs, how Dancer Vs are made. (Repeat each move 15 times.)
Move One — Begin by sitting up and then leaning back at a 45-degree angle with a towel in your hands. Keep your toes off the mat and abs engaged.
Move Two — Stay at a 45-degree angle and pull out with the lower back by lifting your hands. Kaiser says a common mistake is to round your back. Keep your back straight as you lower into a 45-degree angle.
Move Three — Now widen your stance to work your obliques. Keep your feet hip-width apart, with the toes still raised, and your back still at a 45-degree angle. Using the towel, twist down with your hands to one side while lifting your leg.
Move Four — An easier variation is to take away the towel and punch with your hands as you twist to one side.
Move Five — Now, lay your legs flat on the mat and pick up an exercise ball. As you twist to one side, kick up with one leg straight. Keep your toes pointed the whole time.
Move Six — Raise your legs at a 45-degree angle with one leg bent. With the exercise ball in your hands, lower and lift your hands. Be careful to keep your lower back on the mat.
Move Seven — This is Kaiser’s version of the ab slide, and the hardest move of the bunch as a full-lower-ab workout. You can replace an exercise ball with a towel if need be. Keep your hips in line with your shoulders and knees bent, while squeezing your glutes. Slowly roll down using your ab muscles, while keeping the arm that is on top of the ball or towel straight. Be careful not to shift or drop your hips.
