Training

The No-Brainer Way to Add Variety to Your Program

— By Nicole Nichols, Fitness Instructor

By John Alvino

I’d be a very rich man if I had a dollar for ever time that someone told me, “My upper abs are getting lean but I still have this pouch of fat on my lower abs.”

Unfortunately, this “upper then lower” fat loss progression is typical for the majority of people. This “lower ab bulge” happens for three totally different reasons. If you are going to achieve flat lower abs, all three reasons must be addressed.

The first reason the lower abs are not flat is simply due to excess body fat. Most people will lose fat on the upper portion of their abs first. Only when these individuals get very lean will they lose the abdominal fat around their belly button area. This excess belly fat problem is only lost by following a well-designed fat loss plan, such as the How To Get Ripped Abs program.

This plan will include: high intensity cardio, metabolism-boosting resistance training, and proper nutrition.

The second reason the lower abs bulge out can be related to the position of the pelvis. If the pelvis is tilted too far anteriorly (forward) it will cause your lower back to “over arch” and push the lower part of your belly out. If you suffer from this pelvic position, your abs will bulge out, regardless of your body fat levels.

To fix this problem, you must perform corrective abdominal exercises and stretch your hip flexors. By incorporating this combination of exercises and stretches into your routine, you can rapidly re-set your pelvis and flatten your abs.

Below, I’ll describe an effective hip flexor stretch and several corrective ab exercises based on your current level of abdominal strength.

Hip Flexor Stretch– Get into the bottom position of a lunge with the back knee resting on the floor. Push your hips forward while maintaining an upright posture. Adjust the distance between your legs so that the shin on your front leg is in a vertical position. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side. Repeat the entire process 3-4 times. Note: If you are not stretching on a soft surface (grass, mat, etc.), I suggest that you put a small mat underneath your knee.

Beginner Ab Exercise- Lie on your back. Bend your knees to 90 degrees and place your feet flat on the floor. With your palms down, place them under your lower back. Lift both legs off the floor until your knees are pointing directly to the ceiling. Roll your pelvis backward, thus creating slight pressure on your fingers. This is the starting position. Now lower both legs to the floor without arching your back and releasing any pressure off your hands. To progress, simply straighten your legs several degrees each workout until you are performing this exercise with straight legs.

Intermediate Ab Exercise- Lie on your back. Flex both knees and hips to 90 degree angles. Bring knees toward chest by flexing your abdominal muscles, and raising your butt from the floor while maintaining a constant knee angle. Return until hips and knees are again extended to 90 degree angles. Repeat for the prescribed number of reps.

Advanced Ab Exercise- Lie on a decline bench. Flex both knees and hips to 90 degree angles. Bring knees directly toward your chest by flexing the abdominal muscles. Your butt will raise up from the bench. Be sure to maintain a constant knee angle. Return until hips and knees are again extended to 90 degree angles. To increase difficulty, increase the angle of the decline bench.

The third reason for lower belly distension is abdominal bloating, which can be caused by two different problems. The first is constipation. If you are constipated, be sure to increase your water intake and check you diet to see if you are getting enough dietary fiber (25-40 grams daily). If those things are already in check, consult with your physician to achieve optimal bowel functioning.

The second cause of the distention is eating foods to which you are reactive. When you eat foods that your body is sensitive to, your immune system will respond, which causes bloating in the abdominal area. If you suspect this to be your culprit, pay close attention to how you feel after eating each meal. Eliminate any foods that may cause you bloating, cramping, diarrhea or stomach discomfort.

If you are tired of failing to achieve that flat sexy stomach you desire, try this simple yet multi-faceted approach, and flatten your abs forever!

www.synergy-athletics.com

The “300 Core Workout” is something we have been doing since my friend Max introduced it to me in college.  I haven’t shared it before for two reasons:

1. It uses some crunching movements and I am 90% against most small core movements
2. The movie 300 popularized their complete workout so I just kept it to myself.

Beware:  If this is your first time it will feel like your abs are locked up about half way through.  Power through it!  Adaptation happens quickly and you it will be easier in just a few weeks.

To address my #1 statement above, just basic crunches don’t do it for me.  I need either more restance, more muslces, or more planes of motion.   The 300 Core Workout has exercises to hit the full core all around, and that’s what I’m looking for.

It is a LOT of exercise, so get our your pen and paper to jot these down! Or better yet, drop down and do the 300 core workout right now!

Perform each exercise one time each:

1. Standard Crunches x 25
2. Oblique Scissor Vs x 25 right
3. Butterfly Crunches x 25
4. Oblique Scissor Vs x 25 left
5. Figure 4 Twists x 25 right
6. Speed Bicycles x 25
7. Figure 4 Twists x 25 left
8. Crunched Toe Touches x 25 outside
9. Straight Leg Raises x 25
10. Crunched Toe Touches x 25 inside
11. Hip Thrusts x 25
12. Bent Leg Crunches x 25

Hold on to your belly!  At the end, stretch out the core with a few cobra stretches and that’s it.

Oh, and I know some of these movement might be new to you, so check out the video.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl2NPBmI93s&feature=player_embedded]

How long will it take you to complete.. post your video on our facebook. Winner will get a ‘nice” prize.. You got one week.. Go Hard!!!

By Joel Marion

Now, you may think that someone dropped a weight plate on my head for me to make such a controversial statement, but the reality is that you don’t “need” weight training to annihilate body fat and obtain a lean, attractive body.

Does this mean that I now feel that weight training is worthless?  Of course not.  But I do feel that bodyweight training has a LOT of benefits, and even a number of benefits that conventional weight training does not.

Benefit #1 – No equipment or gym membership required.  With bodyweight training, you don’t need a single piece of equipment.  Not a single dumbbell, exercise ball, or resistance ball.  No gym membership or even “home gym” required—the only thing you need is you…brining me to the next “benefit”.

Benefit #2 – You can burn fat ANYWHERE.  Whether you are traveling or at home, in a hotel room or your own room, outside or inside, you can perform bodyweight workouts exactly as they are meant to be performed.

You don’t have to worry about what gym you’re going to train at while on the road, or how you’re going to manage to get an effective workout in that crappy hotel fitness center—you just do the same exact fat-burning workout you’d do while at home…even if you don’t have access to ANY equipment…because you don’t need it.

But if convenience and portability aren’t the only benefits of bodyweight training, in fact bodyweight possesses functional benefits that most weight training workouts don’t.  For example:

Benefit #3 – You’ll build Relative Strength.  That just means you’ll be very strong relative to your weight. Relative strength is directly correlated to high performance, injury prevention and functionality in everyday life

Benefit #4 – You’ll ignite your nervous system.  Bodyweight training allows you to move in every possible range of motion. To do this, you have to improve the timing and coordination of your movements. This means you’ll force your nervous system to work harder, recruit more muscle and burn more fat.

Benefit #5 – Unmatched metabolic demand and calorie burn.  Stringing bodyweight exercises together is the BEST way to create a super intense metabolic workout that will burn tons of fat both during and AFTER your session. Because you don’t have any cumbersome equipment, you can quickly move from one exercise to another without rest.

Those are some pretty serious benefits.

Quit making excuses…if you don’t know what to do, you need to see us.