The most frequent question asked to any fitness expert.

“How do I get good looking abs?”

I hate this question. Really theres a simple answer. Come back to me and ask the same question once your diet is in check and your body fat percentage is under 12%. Because until that happens you’re just chasing your tail.

Heres a better question to ask me if you would rather not receive a condescending reply.

“How do I get more functional abs?”

Now there is the real question. Without getting into discussion about the entire “core” and what lies above and below, in this post I will be discussing primarily the anterior side of the core. Mainly the External Obliques and the Rectus Abdominus.

If we want to train these muscles properly and safely we have to understand what their functions are.

1. Stability and the ability to resist unwanted movement.

2. Trunk flexion.

When most people put together an abdominal program they focus mainly on the latter via curl-ups, sit-ups, pull-ins etc.

The problem with this is that they are trying to walk before they learn to crawl. Ive known people whom claim they can do hundreds of sit-ups a day, yet when you ask them to hold themselves in a push-up position their core can barely keep them rigid for 15 seconds. I’ll get into plenty more detail on my next post. Until then here is a sample of how I believe an effective abdominal program should be set up.

Phase 1: To learn to stabilize and prevent motion in a static position

Phase 2: To learn to stabilize the spine and prevent motion in a dynamic environment ie appendicular movement about a stable, motionless core.

Phase 3: Dynamic movement of the spine with the specific intention of stressing the abdominal musculature.

In my next post I will be discussing phase 1 and the various types of exercises that we will be using.

P.S. Don’t forget the saying “form will always follow function”.

When most people think of corrective exercise they think of someone who is injured and needs rehab or maybe someone who needs serious postural re-adjustment.

The truth is that most of us have some sort physical dysfunction whether we know it or not. It could be the slumped shoulders of an upper crossed posture or even an excessive anterior pelvic tilt at the hips. Its not our fault, it occurs because of previous injuries, or even just the way we hold our posture during our daily routines.

I’m bringing this topic up because what Ive noticed from the variety of clients I have, no matter what their goals are, in the long run, a little corrective exercise can help them reach those goals faster.

So the question. What can corrective exercise do for you?

Athletes: Eliminating asymmetries can help with injury prevention as well as making athletic movements more efficient. In turn this would make for a faster stronger athlete on the field.

Asthetics: Even if your goal has nothing to do with performance wouldn’t you want to avoid major set backs in the gym from overuse injuries and all the other pains you seem to grind through during your workouts. It amazes me how many people think shoulder and knee pain is just another part of working out.

I bring this topic up now because in my following posts I will be discussing in more detail how and why I train myself and the variety of clients I have.

My philosophy is based on the building of a strong foundation, allowing the body to perform the movements it was designed for in a safe and functional manner.

Thats all for now, come back next week and we’ll get into some more details.

Hello everybody that reads this blog.

I didn’t forget about my weekly updates.   September rolled around and as always the shift from having little clients to having an avalanche of clients has messed with my schedule as usual.

Im working on a bunch of articles Ive put together for the next few posts so there should be a lot of interesting stuff to look forward too.

On top of that the format of this blog may also be changing.  Once I get back into the swing of things I will be able to concentrate on what this website was originally intended for.

Thats it for now.  Check back in a week and I should have some new content up.