August Fitness Challenge

Daily fitness challenge for the month of August focused on the core.

Daily Challenge

As a functional fitness coach of several years, I run a community-based fitness group outside of my gym. We discuss goals, meet weekly for outdoor workouts, and tackle a new daily challenge each month.

The intent of these daily challenges is to create productive habits and induce both mental and physical adaptations. The at-home exercise is never more than ten minutes - often less. Short, achievable tasks provide an opportunity to still earn the day when your plans get disrupted.

Consistency will always produce better and more lasting results than intermittent intensity.

Anyone can find a few minutes to do something beneficial for themselves.

That’s all you need to begin seeing progress.

The Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands (SAID) Principle is an exercise physiology concept that demonstrates the more you do anything, the better you get at that specific thing.

The body’s ability to physiologically adapt and optimize performance based on what we consistently put it through is amazing. Even more impressive is the mind’s plasticity in response to stress.

Machine learning for humans.

Fitness serves as a vehicle for resilience training, with the physical benefits secondary to the mental skills developed.

Showing up daily isn’t easy but it’s how lasting change is formed.

Enhance resilience by consistently embracing self-created challenges.

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August Daily Challenge: Core Conditioner

When exercising, most people primarily perform crunches and other abdominal movements in the same linear plane of motion. This is like only doing push-ups to develop arm strength. You’re eventually going to cause such an imbalance that an injury is inevitable.

How many people do you know have back pain or have gotten injured bending over, sneezing, and/or falling?

The core is our foundation for all functional movement patterns. Aside from bending toward the toes, the core also supports extending, rotating, reaching, lunging, squatting, and being able to combine these movements when needed.

Functional health in the core requires harmony in the abs, obliques, and back muscles. The spine must also be sturdy and flexible.

Without a flexible core and back that is able to handle nonlinear and asymmetric movement patterns, you’re an injury risk waiting to happen.

A strong and mobile foundation enables every movement pattern in all planes of motion whether in daily activities or peak athletic performance. It empowers you to lift, move, and live with confidence.

A well-balanced core enhances:

• Stability

• Balance

• Coordination

• Force transfer

• Movement efficiency

• Physical adaptability

• Resilience

Stacked skill development opportunity for functional fitness and developing the skill that is resilience.

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Core Conditioner:

• 25 Large flutter kicks

• 25 Leg scissors

• 25 Russian twists

• 25 Leg pendulums

*2-count for each exercise

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Technique & Modifications

* Watch videos for technical demonstration and discussion. The written steps can help add detail to the micro-movements as needed *

(Condensed summary video below)

Large Flutter Kicks

Starting Position:

• Lie flat on back with hands under your butt

• Lift your head and shoulders slightly off the ground keeping your neck and back aligned

• Extend legs straight with one pointing toward the sky (or as close as you can to vertical) with other six inches off the ground

Execution:

• Alternate leg positions by vertically moving legs up and down while keeping them straight

• Attempt to keep your back flat on the mat and focus energy in your core and hips to generate movement

• 2-count means one full repetition requires each leg to complete full movement (ex. If you start with right leg in the air, one full repetition is when the right leg returns to your starting position)

Modification:

• Bend your knees and execute movement in same fashion with focus of moving your knees up and down rather than feet

Leg Scissors

Starting Position:

• Lie flat on back with hands under your butt

• Lift your head and shoulders slightly off the ground keeping your neck and back aligned

• Extend legs straight with heels being six inches off the ground.

• Spread each leg out horizontally away from one another

Execution:

• Criss cross your legs by horizontally moving legs back and forth while keeping them straight

• Attempt to keep your back flat on the mat and focus energy in your core and hips to generate movement

• Point heels inward throughout the movement

• 2-count means one full repetition requires each leg to complete full movement (ex. If you start with right leg going over the left when your cross your legs, one full repetition is after the left leg also crosses over the right and each leg returns to your starting position)

Modification:

• Bend your knees and execute movement in same fashion otherwise

Russian Twists

Starting Position:

• Seated position with feet crossed in the air approximately six inches off the ground

• Place both hands on the ground on one side of your body

Execution:

• Rotate in your core to place your hands on the ground on the opposite side of your body

• Attempt to keep your legs facing forward and feet off the ground while focusing energy in your trunk to generate movement

• Keep spine straight throughout the exercise. Don’t slouch forward

• 2-count means one full repetition requires touching the ground on each side of your body (ex. If you start with both hands on your left side, one full repetition is when your hands return to your starting position)

Modification:

• Place your feet on the ground and execute movement in same fashion with focus on rotating your trunk to each side while the feet remain in a fixed position.

Leg Pendulum

Starting Position:

• Lie flat on back with hands spread out to each side of your body and palms facing down

• Lift your head and shoulders slightly off the ground keeping your neck and back aligned

• Extend legs straight out together, lift them up vertically toward the sky, and then lower them down horizontally so they land in a position parallel to one of your arms

Execution:

• Like a pendulum, swing your legs up and over to the other side of your body landing in a parallel position with your arms while keeping them straight and connected

• Attempt to keep your back flat on the mat and focus energy in your trunk to generate movement

• 2-count means one full repetition requires your legs to touch the ground on both sides of your body (ex. If you start with legs on your right side, one full repetition is when the legs return to your starting position)

Modification:

• Bend your knees and execute movement in same fashion with focus of moving your knees back and forth rather than straightened legs

For all movements:

• Maintain neck alignment with the spine

• Avoid cervical strain

• Focus engagement in your core/trunk muscles

Summary video:

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Progression Guide

For beginners:

• Use bent knee modifications and practice each movement going slow

  Decrease repetitions for each movement overall

  Complete smaller sets of each movement (such as five sets of five reps each)

• Start with modifications and progressively increase difficulty as you become comfortable

For intermediate/advanced:

• If you can do an unmodified Core Conditioner and feel pretty good, progressively increase your rep count to fifty or do two sets back-to-back (either can be done in under five minutes if you’re able to go unbroken)

• Complete one Core Conditioner set followed by the Ab Stacker and Trunk Transformer for a full core workout (goal is less than ten minutes)

  • Ab Stacker: 25 supine sit-ups, 25 legs bent sit-ups, 25 crunches, and 25 leg raises

  • Trunk Transformer: 25 star crunches, 25 side v-ups left side, 25 supermans, 25 side v-ups right side

As always, compete with yourself yesterday.

Quality of movement is more important than quantity of repetitions. Become comfortable with the technique first, then increase your volume.

If you can’t do it slow, you can’t do it fast.

Show up and do your best.

Battle your internal resistance and get that small win.

Everything feels easier when you occasionally make things a little harder on purpose.

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Conditioned Core

A conditioned core allows you to live more.

Full range of motion in the core to support all upper and lower body movement patterns is an essential skill in order to accomplish a variety of tasks safely, effectively, and efficiently over time

Make sure you watch the technique video above to learn about modifications so you can start at a manageable level based on experience and proficiency with movements.

Even if you do this workout for the entire month with modifications, you will still cause multiple adaptations in your core to enhance performance and decrease injury risk.

This workout combined with the Ab Stacker and Trunk Transformer allows you to comprehensively train your core/trunk with just body weight.

Productive skill development within fitness makes the task exponentially more beneficial.

Stacking valuable inputs in training adds quality to the limited quantity of time we have throughout the day.

This is self-care.

The primary purpose of all of this - resilience development physically, mentally, and spiritually.

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Get Ready

I’m posting this a day early so everyone, including my international friends, can prepare to start strong on day one at their own skill and comfort level.

Track your times and modifications only to set a goal for the following day. The outcome doesn’t matter as long as you show up and put out.

Consistent effort leads to improved performance over time.

How will you respond when you don’t feel like it?

These are the days that matter most.

These are the days that change you.

These are the moments you see what you’re made of.

This is how resilient mental states are developed.

Embrace the challenge of discipline to optimize the skill of resilience.

Deliberate discomfort daily can lead to improved comfort elsewhere forever.

By the end of August, if you consistently complete this challenge regardless of modifications, your core strength, range of motion, and health will all be improved.

Use a brief fitness routine to insert control and success into every day.

Self-care through self-challenge.

A few minutes a day can change your life.

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*Special Offer*

Join our community and earn a 15-min phone call with me to discuss your fitness or life goals:

• Complete the challenge for more than half the month.

• Bonus giveaway for anyone who completes it every day.

In our community chat, we'll hold each other accountable by posting a ✅ after completing each day's challenge. Timing and modifications don't matter—just show up and do your best.

To claim your 15-min call, share your story at the end of August:

Share a reflection on your progress (either in the community chat or privately with me) and then I’ll confirm your ✅ count.

Join our community, and let's improve together.

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Disclaimer:

The content provided is intended for general knowledge and informational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional prior to making any decisions or changes relating to your health. Kyle Shepard is not responsible for any adverse effects resulting from the use of information in this publication.