Your ab routine sucks

Look around any gym and you'll almost always see someone working their abs. It's always the same thing... flexion, flexion, flexion. Situps, decline sit ups, crunches, machine crunches, leg raises, hanging leg raises, and so on and so on. I'm not really a big fan of these types of exercises due to stress that's placed on the lower back and recruitment of the hip flexors. There are plenty of other exercises that will give you a stronger, more stable mid section.

Before we get into that, let's take a look at the trunk musculature. The primary muscles in the trunk are the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, and internal and external obliques.

- The rectus abdominis are the 'abs' that all the 6-pack hunters are looking to develop. Their primary function is trunk flexion.

- The transverse abdominis is a deep stabilizer muscle that acts like a corset to stabilize the spine and pelvis.

- The obliques bend and rotate the trunk. They also function to resist rotation and side flexion.

If you're only doing situps or leg raises in hopes of a strong 'core', your ab workout sucks. You need to add in some bracing exercises, trunk rotation and exercises that force you to resist rotation. Stop doing so many crunches and start doing some of these.

Planks - if you're new to these, here's where you start. Get on the floor in a prone position. Get up onto your elbows and knees while keeping your back flat and neutral. Don't sag at the hips, don't let your shoulders drop, keep your core tight, and hold for time. Once you can hold this position for a minute, move from your knees to your toes. After you can hold that position for 2 minutes, start doing them with 1 foot raised. The same exercises can be done as side planks and the same progressions apply.

Woodchoppers - In a cable cross machine, set the pully in a high position. Stand perpendicular to the pully with the handle on your left side. I find that using the rope handle helps with grip. Hold the rope like you would a baseball bat with your left hand over the right in in an under/over grip. Pull the handle down and across your body just like you would if you were swinging an axe to chop down a tree. Switch sides after 5-10 reps. Be sure to keep your hips and pelvis locked in place so that all of the rotation comes from your thorasic spine/mid back. Remember - lumbar rotation bad... thorasic rotation good. To progress, you can lower the pulley to the middle position and 'chop' straight across your body like swinging a bat or set the pully to the low position and 'chop' across and up.

One arm DB bench press - This one is done just like it sounds. Lay on a bench with a single dumbbell and press it. Start with a weight that's around 50% of what you normally press with... you'll be surprised at how difficult it will be to stay on the bench.

One arms standing cable row - Go back to the pulley machine. First, set the pulley to the middle position. Next, take a few steps back so that the stack comes up a few inches. Then sit back into a parallel squat position. Extend your arm and start rowing. Don't allow any trunk rotation throughout the movement and keep your hips/knees/shoulders locked into position.

One handed farmers walk - Grab a moderately heavy DB (or farmers walk handle if you're lucky enough to have some available) in one hand and walk. Easy. Ok, the exercise itself isn't easy... just the description.

Add these exercises into your routine and you'll see a bigger squat, DL, and fewer injuries (assuming the rest of your routine doesn't suck as bad as your ab routine does). And for those of you looking for the coveted 6-pack, the best exercise is pushing yourself away from the dinner table.

Huh??

Working out in a commercial gym lends itself to a lot of WTF moments. You know what I'm talking about... 4 inch squats, air humping bench presses, one handed overhead squats on a bosu ball, the curl boyz who flex after every set, etc, etc, etc. I see this stuff all the time and it doesn't even surprise me anymore. But recently I saw, well... heard, something that made me stop my workout and say, "Huh??"


I left my MP3 player at home on this particular day at the gym. I'll tell you, nothing fires me up for a good squat session more than some Journey. "Don't stop, believin. Hold on to that feel-ay-eya-en!" YEEAAAHHH!!! I was pumped! During the second set, just after the chorus, I catch one of the 'Fitness Consultants' showing a new member around the gym. It's your typical soccer mom. 35 years old with a few extra pounds to lose and a few dollars to burn.


The squat racks are in the back corner and one of the last places that are shown to prospective and new members. This is fine by me, because that usually ends up being the last place these people end up when they come in to workout. Just after I rack the bar, I hear the 'Fitness Consultant' talking about the freeweight section.


"And this is where all of the freeweights are. As you can see, we've got a couple squat racks, several types of benches, two Smith machines, and a pretty wide selection of dumbbells. This is where all the big boys come to lift. You'll want to stay out of this part of the gym. I don't want to see you get hurt. If you do end up exercising over here, stick to the Smith machine. It'll be far safer than using the freeweights."


"HUH??" I ended up cutting my rest period short. Seriously, my ears would have jumped out and punched me in the side of the neck if I had to hear another word that came out of this guys mouth. 'I don't want to see you get hurt? Stick to the Smith machine?' Oh. My. God. Could he have given this woman any worse advice? And she was happy to hand this guy a check.


Okay - I won't even go into the whole Smith machine thing what with the limited ROM you can use, it restricting you into a restricted plane of motion, wreaking havoc on the joints, etc. Nope, won't even go there. What got me was talking her out of using free weights for fear of injury. Either the guy didn't have a clue or he was just telling her what she wanted to hear to make a sell. Forget honesty. Forget the most important section of the gym. Forget injury prevention.


Any trainer or 'Consultant' should know and tout the benefits of freeweights versus machines. Here's a short list:


Movement in all planes of motion.
More muscle recruitment through recruitment of stabilizer muscles and prime movers.
Greater exercise variety.
Can mimic real world situations.
Increase in proprioception.
Increase in bone density

I was seriously dumbfounded. Goes to show you... Don't believe everything that you hear! Even if it is from a professional.

Resolutions smezolutions

One of the most common New Years resolutions made by people is fitness related. They want to lose weight, tone up, get in shape, get huge, etc, etc... But the fact of the matter is that a majority of these people will not follow through with their resolutions. Most give up a few weeks after the new year has started. I've seen it year after year. Walk into any commercial gym during the first few weeks of January and the place is packed. Every treadmill has someone trudging along on it. Every 'weight' machine is being used. Every step class, or kick boxing class, or spin class is full. The freeweight section is... empty... but that's not surprising. But if you walk into that same gym in the middle of February then it's a completely different story.

Here are my top 4 reasons why people give up on their resolutions.

1. Working out is hard! That's right, it's hard. And when it's done properly, it hurts! At first anyway. I know more than one person who paid over $700 each for gym memberships only to stop going within the first week. Why? Because they were sore. Whaaa... Suck it up Nancy! Pain is temporary. Health is perminent.

2. Lack of results. In an age of instant gratification people expect results now, not tomorrow. They go to the gym for a couple weeks and quit after not losing 20 pounds like they do on the Biggest Loser. Weight loss like that usually doesn't happen in the real world. When people tell me they're quitting after a few weeks because they're not getting closer to their goal my usual reply is, "You didn't get fat overnight."

3. Excuses. Excuses are like buttholes. Everyone has one and they all stink. "I don't have time." "I don't like to exercise." "I don't have the right equipment." If you can think of it, I've probably heard it... and it's usually coming from someone who spends hours sitting on the couch, watching TV, and stuffing their face.

4. They don't have a clue what they're doing. I've seen people literally walk in the gym, get the deer in the headlights look, and walk right back out.

You may be wondering why I only gave you my top 4 reasons. Well, I think 4 reasons are plenty. In my opinion, 1 reason is too many. Do any of these sound familiar to you? Have you made a resolution to get fit but let it fall by the wayside? Don't fret... here are my top 4 ways to stick to your resolutions.

1. Make SMART goals. SMART stand for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time framed.

Specific - Instead of making broad goals, make them specific. Instead of "Losing weight", say "Lose 10 pounds by June".

Measurable - Goals need to be measurable. Break down your specific goal into smaller, measurable goals. If your goal is to lose 10 pounds by June, break it down by month. If you start today, you have to lose 2 pounds per month. Track your progress and make the changes necessary to meet your goal.

Achievable - Don't make unrealistic goals. If you're goal is unachievable, you're setting yourself up for failure and will likely stop working towards your goal.

Realistic - Don't expect more than you can deliver. Losing 30 pounds in a month is not realistic. But losing 6 pounds in a month is. I think this is where most people fall short. They have unrealistic ideas of what can be accomplished.

Time framed - Set a realistic time frame. Don't just say "I want this by the end of the year." While that is a time frame, it leaves too much room for chance. Make monthly, quarterly, or even weekly goals. "My goal is to work out 3 times this week."

2. Educate yourself. Read a book, go to a seminar, hire a trainer. If you opt for a trainer, still make sure that you have some exercise and nutrition based knowledge and don't necessarilly take the trainer's word as gospel. I have it on good authority that 90% of trainers suck. Luckily, the WWFS trainers do not.

3. Find your motivation. Do you have a reunion coming up? Do you want to be around to play with your grandchildren? Do you have a competition coming up? How long has it been since you've seen your own penis? Find your motivation and use it to fuel your workout.

4. Stick to it. Remember... Rome wasn't built in a day, and you didn't get fat overnight.