6 pack abs do NOT equal great physical fitness

This post is about how 6 pack abs do NOT equal great physical fitness.

To get six pack abs the only thing you need is low body fat around your abdominal muscles. This is where women have the advantage in the world of six-packdom. However, in general, since women store fat around their hips thighs and ass, a six pack on a woman is not the same as a six pack on a man.

6 pack abs do NOT equal great physical fitness

Since the perception of fitness and what most people are told about fitness comes from TV, magazines and print, which are mainly controlled by men, then what most of you have “learned” about fitness and what is widely accepted in Western culture as great physical fitness is the effervescent six pack abs that people see in magazines such as Men’s Health, Women’s Health or some other fitness publication is simply not true.

Six Pack Abs and Women

Girls, the women you see in magazines standing at ¾ view are not what they seem to be. While some of them ARE in great physical condition, most of them are not.  In order to get casted to actually be on the cover of a magazine, you have to be either, A) a celebrity, B) a fitness model/fashion model, or C) a professional athlete. All of those girls represent less than 1% of the entire world’s female population. Furthermore, while magazines tell you what you want to read “How to fit in the perfect jean, in 15 minutes a day” or “Michelle Obama’s biceps today” or “The unknown fat-blocker that you are missing at the grocery store,” what the magazines fail to tell you is the other side of the coin in that most of the fitness or fashion models of the world suffer from a condition called “Amenorrhea.” Amenorrhea (reduced estrogen) is when a woman of child bearing ages loses her menstrual period. This happens usually during pregnancy, when a woman is breastfeeding, or when a woman has a very low body fat and cannot support the birth of a child. So guess where most of these women come from?…Yep, Celebrity’s, Fitness/Fashion models, Professional Athletes, and with most women when they either don’t eat enough food to support a newborn baby or eat too much (too much body fat) to support a newborn baby. In extreme cases where amenorrhea lasts more than six months, it is then called Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA).

So now you are thinking “Great” put a check mark in the Athlete box for me. NO, there is a study over in the UK that links Amenorrhea with increased osteoporosis and uterine cancer in later life. There are even newer studies that link the condition with elevated blood fat and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) Cholesterol – the bad cholesterol, which may lead to a higher risk of coronary artery disease. I am not a doctor but I don’t think 15 minutes of fame is worth osteoporosis and uterine cancer, and even if the study is not 100% accurate, I believe the risk is far higher than the reward.

Six Pack Abs and Men

In general, the only types of guys who are capable of maintaining six pack abs for any extended period of time are Ectomorphs and Mesomorphs. If you are an endomorph, generally a six pack is probably not going to happen. Now I know that we live in a “new and improved” society that supports the sort of thinking that if you want it you can get it. But that’s just not the truth. I may think and be told that I too, as an Ectomorph (upperbody), with enough hard work, will be able to Bench Press 500 pounds like my cousin Andre, instead of competing in the Boston Marathon. I would be climbing Jacob’s ladder highly unlikely to ever reach my goal, and even if I did maintain that goal, it would be more trouble than it’s worth. Endomorphs are more suited for carrying baby cows on their backs and lifting big ass boulders than they are trying to look like NFL player Terrell Owens.

6 pack abs do NOT equal great physical fitness

The other part of the myth of the six pack abs is that no amount of sit-ups, ab roller machines, or crunches will magically make you have the six or eight pack abs. Abs are ultimately made in the kitchen and not in the gym. Want proof? Look at most of the prisoners of America who work out. Outrageous bodies and they are eating the government mandated 3 meals per day with the least nutritious food imaginable for a first world nation. Most have six packs all day long, and eat bags of Doritos in their cells at night. It is unlikely that they are eating the latest Ultra Deluxe 100% Whey Protein from the nearest nutrition store, nor do they have the latest “crunch, crunch, crunch your way to a six pack in just 3 weeks” that they bought off TV when they came home drunk from the club. Most prisoners’ health is absolutely atrocious because their nutrition is atrocious, even though they usually have best six pack you have ever seen in your life.

So, in conclusion, do not think that just because a person has a six pack that it automatically means they have great physical fitness. While for some it does mean that, for most, especially women, there are caveats that will make the journey to what you have been told to *want* a lot hard to reach and even harder to keep, and it just may not be what you expected once you get there.

This concludes my post on how 6 pack abs do NOT equal great physical fitness.

Exercise Ball V Pass

Here are my Exercise Ball V Pass – I use these in my bootcamp class I teach here in Sacramento.

Exercise Ball V Pass

1. Squeeze the exercise ball between your feet. Stretch your arms straight out over your head. Your shoulders should be slightly off the ground. (Photo 1)
   

   Exercise Ball V Pass Photo #1

2. Keeping your legs and arms straight, use your abs to simultaneously lift your legs and your arms straight up. (Photo 2)
   

   Exercise Ball V Pass Photo #2

3. Pass the ball from your legs to your hands at the top of the V and stretch back out. This time, the ball will be in your hands. (Photo 3)
   

   Exercise Ball V Pass Photo #3

4. Your legs and your arms never touch the ground or rest. Your core will always be engaged.
5. Progression. For an even deeper strength move for your lower abs, tilt your pelvis up and lift it off the mat when you pass the ball back and forth. (Photo 4)
   

   Exercise Ball V Pass Photo #4

   Thanks for looking at my post on Exercise Ball V Pass.

Side Planks

Today we are going to talk about Side planks (with side dips and leg lifts) – Ab Attack Series

The plank is an isometric exercise that works your core, your shoulders, and your outer thighs. We add some movement to also work your waist.

Side Planks

Side planks can be done while holding yourself up on your hand or on your forearm.  We show you both ways, beginning with up on your hand with a straight arm.

1. Lay on your side in a straight line with your arm directly underneath your shoulder, hand palm down on the floor and our top foot stacked on top of your bottom foot.  The outside of your bottom foot and ankle are resting on the mat.   Push yourself up and lift your top arm up so you look like cross resting sideways on the mat. (photo 1)  For isometric only, just hold this position for at least 30 seconds, but try and hold for one minute.
   

   Julie Side Plank Photo #1

2. Progression: While you are in this position, keep your arms and legs straight.  Drop your hips and waist straight down toward the floor and then lift them back up to the starting position.
   

   Julie Side Plank Photo #2

   (photo 2)  For even more of a challenge, while you are in the plank position, lift your top leg straight up.  It works your outer thighs and your glutes and requires more strength and balance.

   

   Julie Side Plank Photo #3 (Progression)

   Work your way from 1 or 2 to 8 or 10. Flip over and do the other side.  You want to be even.

Side Planks

Side planks on your forearm.

1. This time, lift yourself up on your forearm.  If you have hard time balancing with your top foot resting on your bottom foot, rest the top foot on the floor directly in front of your bottom foot.  Lift your top arm straight out.  Now you look like a sideways cross with one side bent. (photo 1)
   

   Julie Side Plank Forearm Photo #1

2. Progression.  All of the same moves from the previous photos apply here as well. (photos 2 & 3)
   

   Julie Side Plank Forearm Photo #2

   

   Julie Side Plank Forearm Photo #3

   Thanks for looking at my post on Side Planks.

Oblique Teapots

Here we are going to talk about Oblique Teapots.

Oblique Teapots

This exercise targets your obliques.  You will need a medium-sized rubber ball (the ball in the photo is a medicine ball).

Oblique Teapots Photo #1

1. Sit on the floor on a mat.  Put both legs to one side of your body and bend the bottom leg at an angle.  Your top leg can either be bent at the same angle as your top leg, or it can stretch straight out to your side.

The ball should be on the floor next to you, opposite your legs.  Rest your hand lightly on the ball and straighten your opposite arm out parallel to your legs, sitting as straight as possible.  Your body should be in a straight line from the legs to the opposite arm.

Oblique Teapots Photo #2

1. Engage your oblique muscles (the ones on the leg side) and slowly roll out to the side as the ball rolls up your arm (never going past your elbow), keeping your obliques engaged.  (see photo 3)
   

   Oblique Teapots Photo #3

2. Roll back up to the sitting position by engaging your obliques to pull yourself up.  keep the opposite arm straight and the legs still. (see photo 4)
   

   Oblique Teapots Photo #4

Oblique Teapots

This is a slow, controlled motion.  Do 10 (or more) reps on one side, then switch.

Progression (Charles’ photos) 

Charles - Oblique Teapot Photo #1 -Progression

1.      For more of a challenge, extend your top leg straight out and lift it off the floor keeping it parallel through the entire exercise.  (see Charles Progression photo #2)

Charles - Oblique Teapot Photo #2 -Progression

2.     Roll back up to the sitting position by engaging your obliques to pull yourself up.  keep the opposite arm straight and the legs still. (see Charles Progrssion photo #3)

Charles - Oblique Teapot Photo #3 -Progression

3.     Roll back up to the sitting position by engaging your obliques to pull yourself up.  keep the opposite arm straight and the legs still. (see Charles Progression photo #4)

Charles - Oblique Teapot Photo #4 -Progression

4.     This is a slow, controlled motion.  Do 10 (or more) reps on one side, then switch.

Have Fun and go bust out some Oblique Teapots.

Video Rowboat Explosions

Julie who is an ab monster is doing in the Video Rowboat Explosions, trust me they are extra hard.

Video Rowboat Explosions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElzFfK3MtwY

1. Position #1: First you want to get yourself in a crescent moon position with your head, shoulders and feet about 1 inch off the ground.
2. Position #2: Come up into a “V” shape using your abs bending at your knees, keeping your back straight, while balancing on the top of your butt, arms bent at your sides, elbows at your waist.
3. Position #3: Clasping your hands together, this is where you “row your boat”, tighten your obliques and move your arms side-to-side like your rowing a boat. Do 2 or more for each side.
4. Come back to Position #2
5. Position #4: Coming out of Position #2 we have the explosion, this is where you extend your arms and legs so you are into a full “V” shape and make a explosion sound – If you really rock then will make a ridiculous explosion sound, the more ridiculous the sound the more you will rock
6. Back to Position #2
7. Back to Position #1

Video Rowboat Explosions

• If you can’t keep your feet in the air while you are rowing, rest them lightly on the ground.

Thanks for looking at my post on Video Rowboat Explosions.

Exercise Ball Workouts

This is the first installment of my Ab Attack Series and Exercise Ball Workouts. This is the reverse V-up.

If you need a really good abdominal exercise, try this reverse V-up. In practice this is considered an intermediate abdominal exercise.

Exercise Ball Workouts

Muscles worked

• Abdominal
• Transverse Abdominal
• In all honesty, although there are separate names for both of these Abdominal muscles, there are in fact apart of the same group. Think about it like, there were a bunch of people who had nothing else to do but come up with different names for muscles

Auxiliary muscles worked

• Obliques
• Deltoids
• Quadriceps
• Triceps

Exercise Ball Workouts

Exercise Ball Workouts

This is my first post on Exercise Ball Workouts, and Exercise Ball Reverse V-Ups – Ab Attack Series.

The exercise is very easy to write about but very hard to do. You are working your core through balance.

• 1. Get yourself on top of the ball belly down
  2. Slowly work yourself out on your hands so you are in the push-up position, with the tops of your feet and ankles directly on top of the ball.
  3. Place your hands at shoulder width apart.
  4. Stabilize yourself – This is very important be sure you have a good balance and you’re not wobbling.
  5. Once you are stabilized, pull your navel into your stomach as you use your abs to roll the ball towards your hands, keeping your legs straight.
  6. Always keep your back straight.
  7. Roll back out to complete one rep.

Here you have me and Julie doing the exercise. Notice the feet placement. Since I was too tall for the gym, my feet didn’t roll that much. You will also notice Julie’s feet have rolled  up on the ball.

Pay close attention to her feet placement in both pictures and her body alignment.

Thanks for looking at my Exercise Ball Workouts.