Stomach-toning exercises Kim Kardashian swears by

From Harpers Bazaar UK

Kim Kardashian works very hard at the gym, which we know because she loves to show off her abs every chance she gets. Kardashian's trainer Melissa Alcantara recently shared the "exact ab workout" they've been following in a blog post on Kardashian's app, and it's surprisingly pretty simple. Here's a quick look at how she has been able to get and maintain her toned stomach.

1. Leg lifts

According to Alcantara, leg lifts are best done while laying down on a mat with hands placed underneath your butt and your feet spread hip-width apart.

She writes: "Lift both legs off the ground until you create a 90-degree angle with your legs. Then, lower your legs, making sure your feet don't touch the ground. Continue to lift and lower your legs for 4 sets of 20 reps."

2. Plank hold

Planks are the main exercise that Kardashian and Alcantara started out doing in their sessions before graduating to the more difficult workouts.

"Get into a pushup position with your hands directly under your shoulders," Alcantara explains in the post. "Engage your core and glutes so that your body is in a straight line. Hold for 1 minute, then take 30 seconds to rest, then hold again for a minute. Repeat until you get to 4 minutes of total plank holds."

3. Ab roller

If you happen to have an ab roller handy, then this exercise is right up your alley. According to Alcantara's instructions, Kardashian normally does 4 sets of 10 reps.

"Kneel on the floor and place the ab roller on the floor in front of you, with your hands on each side of the device," she explains. "You should be on your hands and knees, like a kneeling pushup position. Slowly roll the ab roller forward, stretching your body into a straight line. Go as low as you can without breaking form, then slowly roll yourself back to your starting position. Keep your upper back a bit rounded and your core as tight as possible. Align your head and neck with your spine at all times. As your core becomes stronger, you'll have better engagement."

4. Kneeling rope crunches

This one sounds tricky, but thankfully she followed up her explanation with a video of her demonstrating the exercise, and you can watch that in the video above at the 1:13 mark.

"Using the rope on a cable fly machine, choose a starting weight that will challenge you (about 30 pounds, or 14kg, but adjust as needed)," she starts off. "Then, get into a kneeling position in front of the machine. Grab onto the rope with both hands and then place your thumbs on your temples. Your hands will stay in this position the entire time to engage your core. Don't pull with your arms! Bend down at the waist, lower your head to the floor and lower your butt so your thighs are at a 60-degree angle. Don't let your booty touch your heels! Return to the starting position and repeat for 4 sets of 30 reps. Be as stable as possible, because this one is super evil."

For any eager folks out there who are excited to test out Kardashian's workouts, Alcantara recommends doing ab workouts at least twice a week to see the best results.