Many champions don’t just want to win titles — they want to help others become their best as well. One example of a champion that does as such is six-time Figure Olympia winner Cydney Gillon.
Outside of her competitive career, the former “Survivor” contestant trains and coaches other athletes. She also shares training tips for her social media followers, such as the ab workout she posted to her Instagram on May 8, 2023.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr_Ie4IuRUt/
Gillon told her 139,000 followers that she includes these three exercises regularly into her training routines, performing an ab workout in every training session. Besides the video demonstrations, she also included tips in the caption of the post to help execute the exercises.
Foam Roller Crunches
Gillon can be seen lying on the floor with a foam roller under her mid-back area. She lowers herself down so her upper back rounds around the foam roller before performing a standard crunch.
Her hands are behind her head with the elbows coming forward as she rises and flaring out as she goes back. She didn’t offer a specific rep goal, but performed eight reps on the video.
“There should be zero strain in your neck. Make sure your hand is properly supported and you aren’t bending your neck versus using your abs.”
Plank Knee Taps
Next, Gillon takes a push-up position before lowering her knees to the floor. Once they touch the ground, she immediately brings them back up to the starting position. She maintained a consistent cadence with each rep. Gillon showed herself doing 15 reps on this exercise.
Replying to a question in the comment section, she clarified the goal of the exercise by saying it works the entire ab muscle with an emphasis on the lower abs.
“Great if done efficiently. The core should be tight the entire time and the knees should not collapse to the floor. Plank first, drive knees down and right back up for each rep. This variation is good if your hip flexors are zapped from leg lifts or leg day.”
Planks
Gillon placed her elbows on the floor for the final exercise of the sequence. She performed a traditional plank with her elbows and forearms on the ground, while keeping her glutes slightly higher than her shoulders.
This stationary exercise is most effective when the abs remain strongly contracted instead of allowing them to relax. Gillon is shown holding the position for roughly 10 seconds before the clip ends.
“Make sure your core remains engaged and try to make sure you don’t rock forward to your shoulders when the abs begin to fatigue. Start with a short count then work your way up.”
Gillon will be making her next title defense when she steps on stage at the 2023 Figure Olympia contest as a part of the 2023 Olympia Weekend, scheduled for Nov. 2-5 in Orlando, FL. With six consecutive titles, she’s already the winningest champion in her division’s history.
The next-closest uninterrupted string of title wins was inaugural Figure Olympia champ Davana Medina’s three-year run (2003-2005). Nicole Wilkins amassed four total wins across six years (2009, 2011, 2013, 2014), still not approaching Gillon’s six-and-counting victories.
Not to discount her fellow Figure competitors, but Gillon appears to have no doubts about retaining her title indefinitely. In November, her streak could be expected to extend even further.
Featured Image: @vytamin_c on Instagram