How to Tone Your Abs with Paper Plates (No, Really!)

by Lexi Petronis



CN Digital Studio
CN Digital Studio

If you don't have high-tech gym equipment at home--and, let's be honest, how many of us do?--you know that it's still possible to get a kick-butt workout with exercises that don't require much equipment at all. In fact...you can MacGyver a pair of paper plates and give your abs and butt a serious toning session.

Paper plates...who knew? The idea is to mimic glider disks: circles that you place under each foot or each hand and slide from side to side (sort of like speed skating). Leah Sparks at Tybee Island YMCA & Recreation outlines an intense workout for the Savannah Morning News:

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* For your abs: Put your toes on the paper plates and get into plank position. Bring your knees toward your chest, and then extend them back to plank. Repeat for 3 sets, 30 seconds each.

* For your butt:
Lie on your back, knees bent, feet hip-width apart, and heels on the paper plates. Keeping your head and shoulders on the floor, raise your hips of the ground, and extend your legs without letting your butt touch the floor. Return to start, and repeat for 3 sets, 30 seconds each.

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She also suggests standing on the plates--on a smooth wood or tiled floor--for in-place speed skating, which can bump up your heart rate and really challenge your lower body.

Cheap, effective workouts FTW! Want to give this paper-plate workout a try?

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