The 5 Best Core Exercises for a Solid Abs

In this tutorial I look at what I consider to be the most effective core exercises. Some of these movements are more advanced, so I suggest you check out my Fat Loss Report for some progressions to help you prepare for those exercises. (Sign up at www.StrongerAndLeaner.com).

Almost everyone who is interested in getting fit and staying in shape also wants to develop a toned, solid midsection. Strengthening the core muscle group can enhance ones appearance (the much sought after “six-pack”), improve athletic performance, reduce back pain, and maintain better posture. Whether the goal is functional or aesthetic, the quest for a stronger core is very popular. Unfortunately, many people don’t know the most effective ways to reach that goal and end up wasting time doing hundreds of crunches or one of the dozens of other abdominal exercise variations. Training your core this way can take a long time and delivers minimal results.

I subscribe to the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Short n’ Simple) philosophy in order to accomplish more in less time. To accomplish this we need to implement a simpler, more efficient approach using more effective exercises. In this chapter I will explain the basic anatomy and function of your core musculature and describe what I believe to be the most effective exercises to train your core, and why.
First of all, let’s take a look at the core structure and anatomy. The core muscles are the muscles in the body's center of gravity that support the spine and torso and they are also the muscles that initiate movement.

Often people only consider their “core” as being their abdominals; however, the “core” musculature includes your entire midsection, including the following:

•Rectus Abdominis. - The abdominal muscle group referred to as your “six-pack”.

•Internal and External Obliques. - These run in opposite directions to each other and are on the abdomen and sides.

•Transverse Abdominis (TVA). - This is the deepest layer of abdominal muscles that wrap around the waist, located underneath the obliques.

•Multifidus & Erector Spinae. - The lower back muscles that support and rotate the spine.

•Hip Flexors and Abductors. - The muscles of the hip and inner thigh.

•Gluteus Medius, Minimus, & Maximus. - These muscles are often referred to as the butt or “glutes”.

You don’t need to remember the names of these muscles, but it’s nice to be able to visualize where they are on your body so you can get an idea of how to train them. These are the muscles in the front, sides, and back of your midsection that run vertically, diagonally, and even horizontally (the transverse abs). The exercises I will be describing to you will target each of these main areas.

The basic action of these muscles when they concentrically contract in isolation is to flex, extend, rotate and side-bend the torso. Their primary function is actually to resist motion in these planes, and to maintain posture and stabilize the midsection and spine during functional activities. Considering this you need to challenge these muscles isometrically as well, by including exercises which force you to resist movement and maintain core stability.

Let’s look at what I consider to be the most effective core exercises. Some of these movements are more advanced, so I will also suggest exercise progressions to help you prepare for them. Here the Five Best Core Exercises:

1.Power wheel rollouts (resisting extension)
2.Power wheel knee tucks (resisting extension)
3.Hanging knee raises (flexion)
4.Resist the Twist (resisting rotation isometrically)
5.Deadlifts (extension; resisting flexion)

( http://www.StrongestCore.com )

With these basic movements you are targeting all the primary core muscles.

Placing the body in an extended position and adding load has been shown to be the best method for stimulating abdominal strength. During Power Wheel roll-outs the core muscles are engaged isometrically to resist the extension, which makes this an extremely productive AND functional movement.

As part of an integrated approach to exercise and nutrition, these exercises will contribute significantly to a achieving a stronger, leaner looking waistline. They can be incorporated into a circuit training program, or they can be performed separately as a core workout.

The exercises I’ve shown you were chosen based on solid research, exercise science, as well as personal experience. They were not picked at random because they looked cool in a fitness magazine. Building powerful core muscles will also increase your gains in every area of your workouts, because your core is the central area of your body which supports every other part of your body.

Josh Hewett

Note: this article is a short excerpt from the FPA Report on Fat Loss Strategies. For the free full report, subscribe at www.StrongerAndLeaner.com.

Happy New Year! What Are Your 2010 Resolutions?

Hey, this is just a quick message to wish you all a Happy New Year!

I hope 2010 brings you much success, health, wealth and happiness.

This is a big year for me. I turn 40 this summer, so I'm challenging myself with some big goals over the upcoming year:

• To get and stay in the best shape of my life! This means I will get leaner, stronger, and healthier than I've ever been. I've written down my specific strength goals for each exercise, my bodyweight and body-fat % goals, and the exact dates I will achieve these goals.
  
• Take my business to the next level. This also means making more great training resources available to you guys... including articles, videos, and finishing the ebooks I've been working on forever!
• Spending more quality time with my family. Our daughter is 14 months old now, and the last year has gone by SO fast! I want to make sure I appreciate every minute of her growing up, and still make time to spend with the most beautiful woman I know... my wife.
• Planning time with no plans. Setting aside a little time to just "chill" and relax... an essential part of maintaining good health!

One of the keys to achieving your goals and being successful with your resolutions, is to write them down and then to share them with others! Actually writing your goals is similar to making a contract with yourself, and when you let other "supportive" people know about them it makes you more accountable.

With this in mind, I invite you to share your New Years goals and resolutions on this blog. I would love to hear your plans for 2010, and I'm certain it would be motivating for the other readers! So take a minute to seriously consider what changes you want to make in your life, and what results you want in 2010 and leave a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Thank You and Happy New Year!

Stay Fit,
Josh

-->Leave Your Comment Below:

Merry Christmas!

Hey, just a quick shout out to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

The New Year is approaching... time to re-focus on your goals and continue to challenge yourself to improve your fitness and performance!

All the best,

Josh

17-My "Barbarian" Post Workout Power Shake

This video is a quick look at how I make my own post-workout "Barbarian" Protein Shake. I throw alot of good stuff in there, including:

• yogurt
• whey protein
• 'good' fats (ie- flax oil or fish oil)
• baby carrots
• an apple
• a handful of spinach
• oatmeal
• grape juice
• creatine
• frozen berries

...and more.



Check it out, and leave me a comment with your protein "power" shake recipes.

If you checked out my post from last week, you saw Jeff Anderson's information on how to "Make Your Own Supplements". As he explains you don't need to spend alot of money on fancy, expensive supplements. I would argue that most of that extra money you would spend on "big name" supplements goes toward exaggerated advertising and marketing hype!

This makes me mad.

In most cases you can find nutritional supplements of the same quality for a much lower price, or you can purchase the ingredients yourself at a fraction of the cost! If you want more information on supplementing your diet, and how to save money by making your own supplements, check out Jeff’s site at http://tinyurl.com/makemyown, or post your questions below; you can also sign up to see a video on his site that shows you how he makes a great pre-workout energy drink.

I’ve read his ebook, and used some of his ideas myself… there is some good stuff in there.

Ok, I've been focusing on nutrition for a few posts now, and hopefully it's helped you all stay on track over the holidays! Over the next few weeks I will be sharing some great training information with you (ie- bodyweight workouts, core training, home workout ideas, etc). Stay tuned for that!

Stay fit,

Josh

How to Choose a Protein Supplement

In this issue I want to discuss nutritional supplementation.

When it comes to nutrition, my focus is usually on "whole food", although often supplements are very helpful to ensure proper nutritional demands are met. I’ve mentioned Juice Plus in a previous newsletter, and the importance of a whole food fruit and vegetable concentrate (Check out www.StayFitWithJuicePlus.com), but this time I’d like to focus on protein supplementation.

I recently had a client ask me about taking whey protein (how much to take, when to take it, what type to take, what quality, etc). He was confused by all of the different protein supplements available and the overwhelming amount of advertising.

We all know that to build muscle, you need protein, right?
If you're aware of how much protein is necessary to recover properly from your workouts every day, chances are you've figured out that supplementing with protein shakes is an easy way to get in some great quality protein to build muscle.

I usually recommend consuming 1 gram of protein per lb of lean bodyweight per day. The question is WHICH protein should you be taking?

When you shop for a good protein powder, you will be bombarded with all kinds of crazy marketing for the latest Super Powered Protein supplement. In my opinion, many of these supplements are hyped up junk, and cost much more then they should.

The truth is you can make your own powerful supplements right in your own home, and save some decent money while you’re at it.

Jeff Anderson, the Muscle Nerd, talks about this in this great resource he produced at http://tinyurl.com/makemyown














This video tutorial by Jeff Anderson does a great job of explaining protein supplementation. In it he discusses:

•Which protein get's an "A+" on the Muscle Nerd Report Card of supplements.
•The exact times you should take your protein supplements to gain more muscle.

Protein Supplement Review Report Card: Beyond The Basics!

By The Muscle Nerd, Jeff Anderson



For more information on supplementing your diet, and how to save money by making your own supplements, check out Jeff’s site: Make Your Own Supplements

Next I'll be posting up a video showing you how I make my own post workout Power Shake... it's pretty crazy how much stuff I actually throw in it!

Until then, stay fit and train smart!

Josh

#16: Interview with My Nutrtionist

My interview with registered nutritionist, Trionne Moore.

She shares some tips for improving athletic performance and for reducing body fat.













Find out more about her out at www.trionne.ca

Stay fit,

Josh

WIN the Battle of the "Holiday Bulge" This Year!

It's hard to believe the holiday season is upon us once again!

The holidays are traditionally a time for giving, a time of good cheer, a time to celebrate with family and friends, and of course a time during which most of us indulge in copious amounts of food and drink!

This holiday season I'd like to challenge you to actually lose body fat, rather than focusing on "minimizing weight gain". The following Top Form Fitness strategies can help you realize this goal of starting the New Year in better shape:

1. Plan your "cheat" meals in advance. You still need to enjoy your favorite foods while getting in better shape, so schedule the days when you have a big meal planned in advance. For example, mark on your calendar: holiday parties, Christmas family dinners, and any other major event that involves large meals. Allow yourself one of these "reward" meals each week, but once you've made this schedule stick to it!

2. Eat "Low Carbs" the day before one of these "reward" days. When you deplete your body of it's glycogen stores by consuming fewer starchy carbs and sugars, you increase the likelihood that the additional calories you consume the following day will be stored as glycogen (for energy) as opposed to being stored as fat.

3. Schedule your fat burning workouts in advance as well. The holidays can get busy with shopping, family time, parties, etc, so you need to plan your workouts in advance to be sure you make time for them. Also plan a workout before each of your "reward" meals, to further deplete your glycogen stores and increase fat burning.

Remember you don't need to slow, long duration cardio workouts to reduce body fat. In fact, shorter, higher intensity circuit training workouts, as in the Top Form Fitness System, are far more effective. Try performing a high repetition circuit training workout using body-weight and free weight exercises, and alternating between compound exercises for your lower body, upper body and core throughout the workout.

4. Don't drink your calories. Reduce your consumption of alcohol, soft drinks, egg nog, and juices over the holidays (as well as during the rest of the year!). Beverages are typically very high in "fast-digesting" calories and will end up expanding your waistline without making you feel full or satisfied. Stick to water as your main beverage, and keep tight reins on anything else you drink over the holiday season.

5. Eat protein in most meals. Protein foods are not only filling, but they can help moderate your blood sugar levels and control your appetite. You will usually have plenty of high-protein foods to choose from over the holidays, such as turkey, chicken, and ham.

6. Make sure you have strong social support. This is a time of year when you will need to get support from your family and peers. It helps to let others know that you are working on improving your fitness and making some lifestyle changes. This increases your accountability as well as creating a support group of those around you.

I also invite you to share your "nutritional challenges" over the next few weeks on this blog, as I'm sure there are other readers who can offer words of advice and support from their own experience.

That's it... a solid 6 Step Plan to help you actually lose several unwanted pounds over this holiday season, and start your New Year off ahead of the game!

I am also working on something you will definitely want to check out soon: an resource which will include my Top Form Fitness training system as well as a complete body-transforming nutrition plan by nutritionist Trionne Moore. We expect it to be available by this spring, 2010. Keep an eye out for it at www.HungryForFitness.com.

Happy Holidays!

Josh