The phrase “mirror body” describes those who only work out the body parts they see in the mirror. Working just the front of your body will not only give you an asymmetrical appearance but also put you at risk for injury. So make sure to balance out your opposing muscle groups – triceps and biceps, hams and quads, chest and upper back.
This is especially true when it comes to your abs. You can do hundreds of crunches or buy expensive machines, but if you really want that flat stomach you need a strong lower back. Women spend hours with exercise videos and gym classes that focus on your abs workout, but hardly ever give a second thought to their lower back.
But strengthening your lower back along with your stomach will create a balance between your front and back muscles, helping you move gracefully. Having a strong midsection will also help you lift heavier weights, which in turn will boost your metabolism and build sexy muscles. Daily activities, such as bending and lifting, will be easier as well.
To get started, try the Superman:
Lie facedown on the floor, with your arms straight and extended above your head and your legs together and straight.
Simultaneously lift your arms and legs up toward the ceiling. Keep your limbs straight, but not locked. Your body will form a gentle curve. Hold for a count of 30, then lower. Repeat 3 times.
So “back off” on the crunches for a while and watch your whole body become stronger!
While cellulite is essentially just body fat it does not seem to respond to normal fat burning techniques. This really is an issue when you are trying to get ripped abs. Some experts say that estrogen plays a major roll in this. John Alvino, author of “How To Get Ripped Abs” actually interviewed a prominent plastic surgeon to get his opinion. To learn what this plastic surgeon had to say please read John’s article below.
John Alvino:
“Cellulite” is one of the most feared words for any woman to hear. Cellulite is a specific type of fat that has found its home on the buttocks and upper thighs of millions of females. Unfortunately for the women who have it, cellulite is considered to be the most unsightly forms of body fat. Its appearance can best be described as resembling lumpy, cottage cheese.
But the worst thing about cellulite is that once it finds its way to your body, it is extremely difficult to get rid of. Even though it is essentially just body fat, it does not get burned with normal fat burning methods. Instead, staring in the face of a sound diet and exercise routine, it defiantly hangs on for dear life, refusing to give your butt and thighs the tight, smooth appearance you are working so hard to achieve.
There are many different theories about what causes cellulite. Some experts believe that estrogen may play a role in its formation. This would explain why women get cellulite much more commonly than men do. Others believe that toxins in the body affect the fat cells and cause cellulite to develop. Still others just attribute it to the simple fact that you are carrying too much body fat in the affected area.
In an attempt to get a definitive answer on the “real” cause of this problem, I recently interviewed a prominent plastic surgeon about his take on the topic. I respect his opinion since he has performed hundreds of liposuction procedures on women who suffer from this very problem.
He strongly believes that the appearance of cellulite is caused by a problem with the flexibility of the connective tissue. In other words, he believes that if your connective tissue flexibility is compromised, your fat cells can bulge upwards to the surface of the skin, giving the area the unattractive cottage cheese look.
Since there is such a wide variety of opinion on this topic, it is clear that the true cause of cellulite is not fully understood by the scientific community. Maybe one of the above theories is accurate. Perhaps it’s a combination of all of them.
The good news is that whatever the precise cause may be, I have developed a multi-faceted approach that will literally blowtorch the cellulite right off your butt and thighs! My system addresses all of the potential causes of this cosmetic hardship. Here it is in a simple, step-by-step format.
Improve the integrity of your connective tissue. This is best accomplished by eating foods that are rich in bioflavonoids and vitamin C. Some foods that are particularly loaded with these nutrients are: citrus fruits, cherries, peppers, all types of berries, oranges, grapefruits and green leafy vegetables.
Flush toxins out of your body. The easiest way to begin this process is to drink plenty of pure water. Be sure to drink at least half of your bodyweight in ounces everyday.
Minimize your bodies exposure to toxins. Being exposed to some level of environmental toxins are unavoidable. But there are many toxins that can be avoided without any trouble. This would include cigarette smoke (first or second hand), excessive alcohol consumption, unnecessary medications, etc.
Keep estrogen levels in check. This can be accomplished by eating plenty of cruciferous vegetables daily. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage contain a substance named indole-3-carbinol (I3C). This substance has been shown to have a positive effect on estrogen metabolism. In addition, these vegetables also assist in detoxifying the body.
Lose excess body fat. Although cellulite has some unique characteristics, it is still body fat. So if you were to lose body fat correctly, you would minimize or totally lose that cottage cheese appearance.
Let’s start by addressing your diet. You should use a diet that doesn’t allow your insulin levels to get chronically high. Chronically high insulin levels prevent cellulite from being burned, thus making your fat loss efforts futile. To keep insulin levels in the optimal range, you should eliminate sugar, red meat and processed foods from your diet. Now let’s address the exercise protocol.
To any woman who has tried, it’s no secret that traditional exercise does nothing to reduce cellulite. In a desperate attempt to lose cellulite, most people perform daily aerobic workouts. I’ve actually known aerobic instructors who teach 6-8 hours of aerobic classes each day and still have stubborn cellulite. This is obviously not an effective approach.
Instead, you should perform high-intensity sprint training. Sprinting works the hamstrings (back of the legs) and glutes effectively while elevating your metabolism significantly.
Combine this with resistance exercises that target the affected area while simultaneously stimulating lean muscle, and you have a potent exercise program that will enable you to lose cellulite quickly. Some of my favorite resistance exercises for losing cellulite are: Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts, KB Swings, and Band Good Mornings.
Cellulite doesn’t have to be a permanent part of your body. Start this plan today and lose your cellulite for life!
About the author: John Alvino is a world renowned fitness expert who is known for his ability to help people lose body fat as fast as humanly possible. For more information on the How To Get Ripped Abs workouts, please visit Ripped Abs Review.
Another great way to get an abs workout is with Turbulence Training by Craig Ballantyne.
John Alvino, in this article, shows us 3 exercises which are definitely not thought of as your traditional ab exercises. These 3 exercise actually work better then the isolated ab exercises that every ab exercise book on the market is pushing. Yes, focused ab exercises are OK but you can get a much better bang for your buck with these exercises described below. Read on to find out what they are……
The 3 Best Ab Exercises That Are Not Ab Exercises
By John Alvino producer of How To Get Ripped Abs
When most trainees attempt to achieve six pack abs, they usually begin performing traditional ab exercises like crunches, leg raises, etc. While this makes perfect sense intuitively, these exercises do not give you the most bang for your buck. The problem is that these exercises attempt to isolate your abs at the exclusion of other muscle groups. This “isolation” does little to burn actual calories and thus does little to contribute to actual body fat reduction.
Instead, I prefer to perform exercises that train the abs while simultaneously working the rest of the body. In addition to carving out six pack abs, these particular exercises greatly increase your metabolic rate. Elevating your metabolic rate leads to greater fat loss, which is of the utmost importance when you want visible six pack abs.
You’re probably asking, “What are these little-known exercises?” Although there are many that I use personally and recommend, I will now share with you three of my favorites.
Here they are:
Med Ball Slams
Renegade Rows
Tuck Jumps
Med Ball Slams- While holding a medicine ball, stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Quickly bring medicine ball behind your head and forcefully throw ball to the ground as hard as possible. The motion should be somewhat like swinging an ax. Bend to catch the ball on the bounce and repeat. Note: I prefer to use a durable, non-bouncing medicine ball for this particular exercise.
Renegade Rows- Start in a push up position with your hands on two dumbbells or two kettlebells. Brace your body with your abs so that your hips do not sag. Next, slightly shift your weight to your left arm and row the right dumbbell/kettlebell towards your right hip. Repeat on other side.
Tuck Jumps- A. Stand with your feet slightly closer than shoulder width. Quickly bend your knees and lower your body down about 8 inches. B. Jump into the air explosively and bring your knees up to your chest in a tucked position. Maintain good posture in your upper body. Keep your chest and head up. Land with a full foot contact and repeat quickly.
There you have it, three great fat burning exercises that give your midsection a better workout than traditional ab exercises. Try them out for yourself. You will soon see that you can get an awesome ab workout without performing a traditional abs workout.
John Alvino is a world renowned fitness expert who is known for his ability to help people lose body fat as fast as humanly possible. He has trained thousands of clients during his 16 years as a Strength & Conditioning Specialist, including professional athletes, fitness models and regular men and women. Learn more about John’s How To Get Ripped Abs program.
When you were at the beach this last summer how many 6 pack abs did you see. Probably none. Why is this when there are so many programs, equipment, gadgets, systems etc out there that are all addressing how to get a 6 pack? These programs do not work because they focus only on the ab muscle and do not address the underlying cause on why you do not have a slim waistline. In this article John Alvino points out that you will never see your 6 pack abs until you work on losing the belly fat. John’s program addresses both, building up your ab muscles and losing that stubborn belly fat. Read on……
By John Alvino
Let’s face it, there is nothing more attractive than the look and feel of a tightly carved out midsection. In
Both men and women can have 6 pack abs
most people’s opinion, no other body part screams out sex appeal more than a great set of six pack abs. The attention that one can achieve from having a tight and lean midsection has caused the marketing world to go “ab workout crazy”.
Anywhere you turn you can find countless abdominal training gadgets, gimmicks and programs promising to help you develop six pack abs in record time. With all of this “great information” so readily available, you would suspect that millions of people would have been able to achieve a sexy stomach. Take one trip to the beach and it will be obvious that this is not the case. In fact, average the waist size has climbed to an all time high just recently.
Why have these ab programs failed so miserably? The answer to this question is surprisingly simple. These programs focus on traditional ab exercises! Traditional ab exercises may work the abs but they do little to burn actual body fat. Fortunately, there are much more effective exercises that carve out a six pack while simultaneously melting off your belly fat.
The bottom line is you will never achieve that sexy looking midsection until you lose your belly fat. The good news is that this can be accomplished quickly and easily. Let’s discuss how to lose belly fat (the right way) and finally unveil your sexy six pack.
Engage in a full body resistance training routine. When done properly, full body resistance
One Arm DB Split Snatch
training stimulates your metabolism like no other activity can. This should be the cornerstone of your belly fat loss program. This routine should only contain exercises that work multiple muscle groups simultaneously. Some examples are: One Arm DB Split Snatch, Modified KB Turkish Get Up, Squat Press Combo, etc.
Unlike traditional ab exercises, these full body movements have a huge caloric cost. In addition to burning a lot of calories during the workout, these exercises greatly increase your metabolism which in turn forces your body to burn fat all day long.
Perform high intensity cardio workouts. High intensity cardio burns significantly more calories than low intensity workouts per unit of time while simultaneously elevating your metabolism to a significant degree. Although these workouts are more difficult to perform, they require much shorter durations. In fact, you can get an incredibly effective fat loss effect in as little as ten minutes, making this a very time efficient way to train.Some of my favorite exercises to use for these workouts are: sprinting, various bodyweight jumps, rope jumping doubles, power wheel walks, etc.
Utilize ab exercises that work your entire body. These exercises give you the most bang for your buck. “Isolated” ab exercises do nothing to burn belly fat.On the other hand, Turbo Ab Exercises work your abs very effectively while increasing your heart rate and burning a significant amount of calories. Unlike traditional ab exercises, these movements sculpt your six pack while simultaneously burning stubborn body fat.Switch your crunches for a Turbo Abs Workout such as Med Ball Explosive Pikes and see the difference for yourself.
Practice proper nutrition. Excess belly fat is often an indication of chronically high insulin levels. The best diets to keep insulin levels in check are the ones that recommend avoiding sugars, flour products, saturated fats and processed foods.Instead, your diet should consist of whole foods in their natural state such as: Vegetables, fresh fruits, nuts and seeds, legumes, whole grains, lean proteins (fish, shellfish, eggs and egg whites, turkey and chicken breast and small amounts of no-fat dairy products.
Follow these simple steps and get your six pack in no time!
John Alvino is a world renowned fitness expert who is known for his ability to help people lose body fat incredibly fast. He is the creator of the “How To Get Ripped Abs” program, which provides you with the blueprint for getting a great set of six pack abs and a lean body without having to endure long boring workouts, crash diets or expensive supplements.
Pull ups are one of the best ways to gain muscle mass in the upper body and will development great strength in the biceps. It is also an exercise that can be done with your own home gym equipment such as the Iron Gym Pull Up Bar.
It’s such a great exercise that the US Marines, the most hardcore fighting machine on the planet, use them to turn boys into men in 13 short weeks. Marines are tough and need plenty of upper body strength to carry around equipment and to climb heavy terrain but you don’t have to be a Marine to add pull ups to your workout regimen.
The Iron Gym has made it possible for anyone to add this mass building exercise to their home gym routine. It has a narrow, wide, and a neutral (palms in) grip which you can use in many variations and even get the optional straps for a killer abs workout.
Superset Chest and Back
If you want an entire upper body workout you can superset pull ups with pushups. After completing a
Superset Chest & Back with Iron Gym
set of pushups rest for about 30 seconds and then hit a set of pull ups. Rest again for 30 seconds and go for another superset. This is enough to work chest, back, shoulders, triceps and biceps in a single workout.
Pull ups will build your upper back giving you the awesome sought after V taper that bodybuilders, mixed martial artists, and wrestlers have. The other great side effect from this exercise is that they will build your biceps. If you want wide lats and well developed arms you need to start doing this muscle building exercise at least twice a week to start strengthening your back and biceps.
You can also use some intensifying techniques with this home gym equipment to get past a pull up plateau. Try using negative reps if you progress has stalled for a couple weeks and you haven’t been able to add additional reps. Once you have completely exhausted your arms and back step up on a chair or jump up so your chin is at the bar and lower yourself down as slow as you can. Do this for a few reps to really burn out the biceps and back muscles. Typically the biceps are the weak link on this exercise and this will help you to push the back harder by starting the movement at the top and lowering yourself down
The Iron Gym is a complete workout right out of the box and only takes a minute to put together. This is the perfect addition to your home gym equipment. For a limited time you can also get a second Iron Gym and two sets of ab straps Free. Having two Iron Gyms is the perfect way to do the pull up/push up super-set combo. Then finish the routine up with a few sets of abs and not only will you have a big back and chest but you’ll also have six pack abs to tie it all together.
Iron Gym for hanging leg crunches.
Bottom line is that pull ups are by far one of the best muscle building exercises on the planet and now you can do this complete workout with your own home gym equipment.
Iron Gym Buy One Get One Free Offer Click Here Now!!
My personal proof that 25 years of pull-ups will make your back wider than ever. Get your Iron Gym Pull Up Bar today.
Have you heard that sit ups are bad for your spine and should not be done and that crunches are the best abs workout to get 6 pack abs. In this article John Alvino puts in question this myth. He points out that yes sit ups put more stress on the spine then crunches but so what. He so rightly tells us that every exercise puts some sort of stress on the body and it is this very stress that causes our body to get stronger. Read on to learn why John Alvino, the author of How To Get Ripped Abs, feels that the sit up is getting a bad rap and the sit up may actually be the best ab exercise to obtain ripped abs…..
The Best Ab Exercise Or Back Breaker?
By John Alvino
For years now, sit ups have gotten a bad rap by many fitness “experts” who tout that the sit up is damaging to your spine. Where did this persuasive opinion come from? The way the sit up has been ostracized by the fitness community; you would suspect that thousands of six pack abs seekers have permanently damaged their backs while performing this “dangerous” exercise! Luckily, that’s not the case…not even close.
The “never do sit ups during an ab workout” mantra that is chanted throughout gyms from coast to coast actually started in the lab. EMG studies have shown that sit ups do stress the spine more so than crunches do. So what? Lying on a bed of cotton balls stresses the spine less than crunches! Does this mean that lying on cotton balls is a better exercise than crunches is? Where do we draw the line? Remember, every exercise is a form of stress to the body. It is that very stress that causes our body to get stronger and adapt, thus eliciting a positive training effect. So what is the best ab exercise?
Let’s take a second to investigate the sit up a little further. The reason why the critics say sit-ups stress the spine more than crunches is because of the involvement of the hip flexors during a sit up motion. They state that this hip flexor activation leads to compressive forces in the spine, and therefore, should be avoided. Is this a gross overreaction, or do they have a valid point for the person looking for the best ab exercise?
Well considering that athletes and fitness enthusiasts have been performing sit ups safely for decades, it should be glaringly obvious that this “fear” is unsubstantiated in the real world. In fact, after being in the fitness industry for over 16 years, I can say with confidence that I have NEVER seen a single back injury result from performing a set of sit ups.
I know that some trainers are saying, “Alright, you convinced me that sit ups are not as dangerous as the “experts” claim, but since crunches work the abs just as well as sit ups do, why should I bother doing sit ups, anyway?” Let me explain why this is not the correct way of thinking.
It is true that during a sit-up, your abs are only directly responsible for the bottom portion of the movement. Once the spine is flexed (when you have finished the “crunch” part of the sit up), the hip flexors predominately take over to finish the movement. What is often overlooked is that even though the hip flexors provide most of the movement during top range of a sit up, the abs are still working hard isometrically (contracting without producing movement). This contraction absolutely does contribute to a positive abdominal training effect.
Another great “side effect” of the sit up is the caloric deficit that it creates. The sit up requires you to move through a large range of motion and incorporates the hip flexors as well as the abdominal musculature. Thus, a sit up burns a significantly greater number of calories than a crunch does. If you want six pack abs, burning calories and losing body fat are of the utmost importance.
I personally recommend sit ups to any individual who fits the “sit up” criteria. The criteria are simple: no pre-existing back problems, and a solid base of abdominal strength. Couple that with proper form, and you will not have any problems! Yes the sit up may be the best ab exercise.
John Alvino is a world renowned fitness expert who is known for his ability to help people lose body fat incredibly fast. and would know what is the best ab exercise. He is the creator of the How To Get Ripped Abs program, which provides you with the blueprint for getting a great set of six pack abs and a lean body without having to endure long boring workouts, crash diets or expensive supplements. Learn how to get rid of that stubborn fat TODAY by visiting How To Get Ripped Abs and learn more about the best ab exercises.
The 300 Movie is famous for the chiseled bodies on all the celebrities and the extras in the movie. These physiques did not come by chance but were produced by an extremely tough workout program which became known as the “300 Workout” fat loss workout which includes some incredible things to add to your abs workout. “The 300 Workout” is too difficult for the average man or woman wanting to lose fat and wanting an improved body. To address this, Craig Ballantyne has develop a toned down program which he details below. Read on and start this version of the “300 Workout” fat loss workout….
300 Movie Fat Loss Workout for Men & Women
By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS Turbulence Training for Abs Workout
The 300 movie workout is the talk of the fitness world. It’s helped actors chisel Greek Statue bodies while
300 Fat Loss Workout
causing weight loss and calorie burning for the rest of us.
The 300 workout is legendary, having been featured in Men’s Health and on ESPN. Everyone’s looking for the 300 workout on the ‘Net. So I made mini-version of the fat loss workout for the average guy and gal, see those below.
But first, here’s how the original 300 Workout goes…but don’t try this at home…
a) Pullups – 25 reps
b) Deadlifts with 135lbs – 50 reps
c) Pushups – 50 reps
d) 24-inch Box jumps – 50 reps
e) Floor wipers – 50 reps
f) 1-arm Clean & Press with 36lbs Kettlebell – 50 reps
g) Pullups – 25 reps
And remember, there is NO scheduled rest between exercises.
Although eventually, you’ll slow down.
I tried this fat loss workout last week and managed to get ‘er done in only 19 minutes and 7 seconds. But what about a 300 workout for you?
Fortunately, this workout can easily be changed. Appropriate
exercises can be subbed in, and we can drop the number of reps down to 100, 150, or 200 – still making
Gerald Butler in the 300 Movie
for a total body challenge.
For example, you might do this 200-repetition workout – this is
great for a man with moderate fitness:
Optionally, you could do 100 reps of rope jumping to finish off 300 total reps.
An intermediate woman could do a 150 rep workout:
5 Bodyweight Inverted Rows
10 Bodyweight Sumo Squats
15 bodyweight squats
15 Pushups (doing as many regular pushups, followed by kneeling)
50 jumping jacks
10 spiderman climbs
20 reverse lunges
25 bicycle crunches
Add in 50 rope skips for 200 total repetitions – or 150 skips for a full 300.
Tough, but fair. So you can do your own version of the 300 fat loss workout and build your own Greek God or Greek Goddess body. Work with a trainer to come up with other ideas. And always, train safe.
Don’t train like this everyday. Just use one of these workouts once every other month as an extra challenge.
For your regular fat burning workouts, stick to the Turbulence
Training abs workout for men and women. You’ll boost your metabolism, burn fat, and maximize your fitness so that you’ll be ready for your very own 300 test day.
About the Author
Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visitTurbulence Training for Fat Loss
There many exercises that the guru’s are pushing which they feel is the best fat loss workout. Do most of these work? Probably so and you should have a complete set of fat loss exercises so that you do not get bored or hit a plateau in your fat loss program results. John Alvino, the author of the program How To Get Ripped Abs, in the following article shares one of his favorites. This fat loss exercise is extremely effective and can be done anywhere with no equipment. Read on to discover what this exercise is…..
What Is The Best Fat Loss Exercise?
By John Alvino
I get asked time and time again, “What is the best fat loss exercise?” The truth is, there is no single “best fat loss exercise”. Instead, you must have a database full of many very effective fat loss exercises. When you have many exceptional exercises to choose from, you will eliminate mental boredom and physical staleness, and you will always keep your body challenged. This helps ensure consistent progress, prevents overuse injuries and keeps you motivated to workout.
That being said, I do have some favorites. I will now share with you one fat loss exercise that always sits on the top of my list. This exercise is incredibly effective and can be performed anywhere without any equipment at all. Even better, it is one of the most time efficient exercises you can do. When done properly, just a few quick minutes of this exercise can burn as much fat as jogging for an entire hour!
The exercise that I’m referring to is the Advanced Burpee. Since technique is extremely important when executing this exercise, I will describe to you in detail how to properly performing the Advanced Burpee. Below, I will break down the movement into four simple steps:
Stand with a shoulder width stance. Squat down and put your hands on the ground in front of your feet.
Next, kick your feet back while lowering your chest to the ground. This step will essentially put you in the bottom position of a push up.
Then, push your chest away from the floor while simultaneously thrusting your legs back up into the squat position with the hands still on the floor.
Finish the movement by explosively jumping up in the air. Upon landing, quickly drop back down into the squat position and continue for the prescribed number of reps.
You’re probably wondering, “How many reps should I perform? When should I do Advanced Burpees?” The truth is there are many ways to integrate this exercise into your routine. Explaining all of the options is beyond the scope of this article. Instead, I will provide you with one option that is simple yet effective.
Set a stopwatch for five minutes. Perform as many quality Advanced Burpees as you can during the five minute period. Push yourself. After the five minutes is over, write how many reps you performed. Then every time you repeat this workout, exceed the number of reps you completed during the prior workout.
Continue this pattern until no more progress can be made. Once this point is reached, its time to change your abs workout.
Now you have a time efficient, yet incredibly effective fat burning routine. Work hard and push yourself. You will be glad you did.
John Alvino is an advisor and regular contributor to Men’s Fitness magazine. His trademarked How To Get Ripped Abs workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and has helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, and get lean in record time. For more information on the How To Get Ripped Abs workouts, please click this link→How To Get Ripped Abs.
Most people doing any exercise programs are always searching for the answer to how to get abs. Traditional ab exercises for women and men are focused on isolating the ab muscles only. There is a better way to get faster and more positive results on your how to get abs quest. John Alvino points out in this article that Olympic gymnast have outstanding abs but do very few isolated ab exercises. Read more on how these world class athletes achieve their six pack abs……
How To Get Abs Gymnast Style
By John Alvino
Every four years, I look forward to the summer Olympics. I thoroughly enjoy watching and following the big events. While rooting on my favorite athletes, I can’t help but notice the incredible abdominal development of the gymnasts.
Sure, these gymnasts have great genetics, but I can assure you that they were not born with a chiseled six pack. A lot of hard work went into developing those sculpted physiques.
Since these athletes have developed that sought after “cut” look, why then does no one seem to turn to them when they want to learn how to get ripped abs? This is clearly an oversight in the training and fitness community.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect any of you to wake up tomorrow morning and start doing back flips off the pommel horse. But we can certainly investigate how these Olympians train, and decide what aspects of their regimen can be integrated into our training routine.
First, they don’t perform traditional ab workouts. I have spent a great deal of time at several Olympic training centers, and I can tell you that I only saw them perform two direct ab exercises on a regular basis. These two exercises were:
1. The Hanging Leg Raise- Grasp a chin up bar with an overhand grip. Initiating movement with abs, raise your legs up until your shins are almost touching the chin up bar. Return in a controlled fashion until waist, hips, and knees are extended. Repeat for the prescribed number of reps.
2. The V-Sit Up- Lie supine with hands over head. Simultaneously raise straight legs up and torso. With your hands, reach toward raised feet. Return to starting position.
In addition to these direct ab exercises, the Olympic gymnasts get a ton of quality ab work indirectly from full body movements. These movements actually train the abs the way they are supposed to be worked.
The take home lesson here is simple: we must perform full body movements that require our abs to stabilize our torso. These exercises never involve using a fancy seat, bench or back/chest support. Let me give you 3 examples of exercises that incorporate full body movements, so you can get started right away.
1. Ditch the bench press for suspended push ups. When you lie on your back on a bench, your abs basically “go to sleep”. The opposite is true with suspended push ups. In addition to working your chest, shoulders and triceps, this exercise works the abs significantly better than most direct ab exercises.
2. Ditch the pulldown for chin ups. When you sit down on the pulldown seat, you abs do no work at all. On the other hand, your abs really get fired up during chin ups.
3. Ditch the leg press for tuck jumps. Just like the bench press, the leg press puts your abs to sleep
From a standing position, squat down part way and, using your arms to gain height, jump straight up and pull your knees toward your chest. Work on landing softly. Repeat 6–8 times.
because of the bench support. But the leg press even has a second strike against it. Since the sled is on guiding rods that only allow it to move linearly, no stabilization or support is needed from your abs. Tuck jumps, on the other hand, provide a great leg workout AND a great ab workout – in one single exercise.
In addition to working your abs better than most traditional abs exercises, these movements are much more time efficient because you basically “kill two birds with one stone.” Make the changes that I suggested today and learn how to get abs faster than you thought was possible!
John Alvino is a world renowned fitness expert who is known for his ability to help people lose body fat as fast as humanly possible. He has trained thousands of clients during his 16 years as a Strength & Conditioning Specialist, including professional athletes, fitness models and regular men and women. John is the authority on how to get abs. See his system How To Get Ripped Abs by clicking on the link, How To Get Ripped Abs .
Are you doing a high-powered fat loss technique or are you just going through the motions of your workout. Your intensity during your fat loss workout is key to the results you will get. In this article John Alvino, the author of How To Get Ripped Abs, illustrates this point through the results of identical twins who were doing the exact same fat loss program he had designed for them but got extremely different results. Read on to see the results…….
High-Powered Fat Loss Technique
by John Alvino
During my entire 16 year career as a professional fitness coach, I have experimented with every imaginable exercise protocol on myself and my many clients. This tireless journey has helped me to perfect a fat loss system that delivers unparalleled results.
My fat loss subjects have included young and old, men and women, obese and those who just want to lose “the last 10 pounds”. Actually, the only group that I never worked with was identical twins. That is, until now.
Just recently, I had two twin brothers (Angelo and Phil) hire me to design training routines for them. They are both wrestlers and needed to lose body fat while simultaneously improving their conditioning. This is my specialty, and I was very excited to work with them.
I was tempted to give them two different exercise routines (to monitor the results of each). But instead, I gave them the exact same routine, since they had the exact same goals, similar injury histories, and they were going to be training together at school. Considering that all of the variables were identical, I was expecting comparable results for both of them.
The initial program I designed for them lasted one month. After they completed this program, they came back to see me for their phase two plan. When I tested their body fat percentage, I was shocked.
Phil had achieved fantastic results (he had lost 9.5 pounds of fat) while Angelo got nowhere (just under 2 pounds). I immediately thought that Angelo was cheating on his diet. They both assured me that this wasn’t the case and that they eat all of their meals together.
After scratching my head for a minute, I decided to have them do a workout in front of me so I could make sure they were doing the routine properly. It only took about ten minutes into the workout to determine why they had experienced such dramatically different results. Angelo was lazy! He trained at a very low intensity with absolutely no enthusiasm. Phil, on the other hand, trained very hard and in a very focused and inspired fashion.
In fact, Angelo trained in such slow motion that Phil actually lapped him about halfway through their workout. It was no surprise that Phil had gotten significantly better results then his brother did.
In addition, it’s not a shocker that Phil is a great wrestler while Angelo is just mediocre. The point is simply this: although genetics do play a role in your appearance and athletic performance, work ethic is a HUGE component of your success. As a matter of fact, without it, you are doomed to mediocrity, no matter how talented or gifted you are.
Thus, I strongly encourage you to evaluate your intensity during your workouts. My advice to you is simple: Step up your intensity, work hard during your workouts and watch your fat loss results accelerate to new levels!
John Alvino is a world renowned fitness expert who is known for his ability to help people lose body fat incredibly fast. He is the creator of the How To Get Ripped Abs program, which provides you with the blueprint for getting a great set of six pack abs and a lean body without having to endure long boring workouts, crash diets or expensive supplements.
author of “How To Get Ripped Abs” actually interviewed a prominent plastic surgeon to get his opinion. To learn what this plastic surgeon had to say please read John’s article below.
