FitnessFixation has a good, forthright post up, Why You May Never Have a Six-Pack. But as much as I enjoyed the post, and as much as I think genetics play a role, I do feel genetics can, in many cases, be overcome. There's the Larry Bird argument, of course (he never seemed to me overburdened with tremendously athletic genes, although he was tall). And it's true that no matter how much I train my arms, and how hard I flap, I'll never be able to fly like a bird. But I don't think having the body that you want quite falls into the same category as the true immutables. It reminds me of something I read recently and blogged about on my other site, DNA is Not Destiny. If you click through and read my excerpt, be sure to click through again and read the whole article. Fascinating stuff.
Or, to quote the greatest animated movie ever, The Iron Giant, "you are who you choose to be. Choose."
(That said, I wouldn't obsess over the six-pack quest, and if thinking it's impossible helps you not obsess, go right ahead and think that. And FF might be right, I certainly haven't studied this stuff.)
I've seen this in a few place now, so may as well add to the link deluge. Excellent video from Mark Twight, One Piece. Love the kettlebell presses on the GHD. A couple months ago I started doing something similar, where you get parallel to the floor on the GHD with a 20-lb medicine ball, and toss it from hand to hand, grab it and move it around, back overhead (that weight multiplies in a hurry, believe me, so be careful), etc.
Dan John says carrying The Slosh Pipe, which weighs in at a mere 38 pounds, is like wrestling a python, will totally kick your ass, etc. It'd be hard to believe, if it weren't coming from such a good source. Gotta build me one of those. Sounds like fun.
And as long as we're on the subject of fringe (but likely killer) core exercises, check out the picture on the cover of the October CrossFit Journal, and consider this description:
Gymnastics coach Phil Savage explains how to use a simple bucket-and-rope contraption to allow the Rest of Us to train like gymnasts. Working the ability to perform circles on the floor (as male gymnasts do in competition on the pommel horse) with the feet supported and rotating around the body provides excellent strength and coordination work that carries over to all sorts of endeavors.
I bet a few circuits of Slosh Pipe carries and Bucket Circles would be just the right kind of torture.
T-Nation is running a great article, Strength Exercises That Work Your Core. Forgive their customary T&A shot (if that sort of thing bothers you); the exercises are excellent, and the embedded video demos are very helpful.
"Janda situps" are supposed to be an excellent exercise, and super-hard. Lots of folks say you shouldn't be surprised if you can't even do one. They work by taking your hip flexors out of the equation via reciprocal inhibition (i.e. you tense the glutes and hamstrings and your hip flexors automatically relax). There are lots of Janda situp descriptions out there, and the evil Russian even sells a $150 machine so you can do them unassisted.
Of coursre, I figured, "who needs a machine?" So I anchored one of my Iron Woody bands, put my legs through it, and slid back until the thing was pulling mightily on my calves. I had my legs at 90 degrees, feet flat on the floor, and the band pulling hard enough that I had to resist pretty strongly to keep my legs in place. I did the situps, and didn't have too much trouble doing 4 sets of 10. I mean, 10 isn't a lot of situps, but based on descriptions I figure I'm either [A] Superman, or [B] doing them wrong. Given I still haven't mastered the flag, the standing rollout, or the front lever, I think we can rule out [A] (I'd like to cut myself some slack because I'm 6'4", but really I'm only in the ballpark of the flag, and I'm nowhere close to the rollout or the front lever).
Anyway, anybody have pointers for me? Perhaps I need to anchor the band higher such that it's also trying to pull my calves off the ground in addition to pulling them away from my butt?
Scott over at Straight to the Bar has been posting excellent stuff. The latest thing to catch my eye was his linkage to a great kettlebell certification video. The impressive stuff starts around 2:45 and keeps getting more impressive as it goes. The heavy double-arm Turkish Get-up is quite a feat. The explosive pistols at 4:00 are ridiculous. And the kettlebell bear walk at the end looks like fun. Painful fun, but fun.
Some quickies:
- Skwigg describes an exercise I'll dub the "Plank Knee Drop":
Get into a plank position with only your forearms and toes touching the floor, like this. From that position, WITHOUT dropping your hips, touch your knees to the floor and return to the starting position. You accomplish the knee drop by recruiting an army of core-stabilizing muscles to keep your hips still, and then you roll forward on your toes and tap your knees to the ground. This exercise will destroy every muscle in your entire body. Try it for a minute or two and get back to me.
Nice. Needed a quick core workout so did 100 of those to the tune of one per second ("one-one thousand, two one thousand..."). Definitely felt it. Would have been even better to do few more such sets, but I was pressed for time.
- Straight to the Bar links up Dr. Cobb's interesting Dynamic Joint Mobility stuff.
- On the RossTraining forums: the Burpee, Mountain Climber, Push-up Challenge.
- Via Crossfit forums, a fun Parkour-ish video. Love the tree work.
Here a good article on why the Kettlebell Swing belongs in your fitness arsenal. I've never used kettlebells, but I do know one-arm DB-swings are fantastic. The swing forces you to maintain tension throughout the core (unless you want to throw your back out), works the whole posterior chain, and makes you generate the power and snap from the hips (your arm really just serves as a pendulum, and your grip keeps the DB from flying away, rather than having to actively lift it). At least, that's the way they feel to me.
Update: As usual, the Crossfit folks come through with a video ("Kettlebell Swing" on the list).
Awhile ago I quietly updated my Turkish Get-up post by adding a link to an Art of Strength video clip. I finally tried their approach to the TGU myself, and it's well worth a special post to call your attention to it.
Often TGU instructions are along the lines of "get up any way you can", which is how I did it. My own way of getting my feet under me felt particularly awkward though, and put a lot of shear stress on my knees, as my legs were almost completely folded at one point with my weight well behind my center of gravity (I'll leave it to your imagination). The Art of Strength approach solves that for me, although I did have to cut the amount of weight I use in half initially to get the mechanics down. That kick-through move seemed odd, but now that I've got it down I really like it. I like the way it gets my legs under my cleanly, provides a nice balance movement, and makes you flex through the lower back and shoulders.
Anyway, give it a shot. Even if you use light weight it's a nice full-body coordination movement.
Just updated my bits on Ross Enamait's triple-clap pushups (he has expanded his post into a full article) and the Turkish Get-up (via the Crossfit forums comes this excellent demonstration from the Art of Strength folks (WMV, 7MB)). Definitely going to start doing my TGUs like that.
Yesterday's Infinite Intensity workout was intervals followed by "Core Training #3". This included my first efforts at an exercise called a "Turkish Get-Up." It's pretty easy to describe. Lie on your back, with a dumbbell extended overhead, elbow locked (like the top of a bench press). Now stand up, keeping the DB locked out overhead (so when you are finished you are standing and the DB is pressed overhead). Then reverse the process until you are lying down again. Once you're down, that's one repetition (for that side of your body). I started off with what I assumed was a reasonable weight and was immediately humbled. The movement highlights weak links in short order, as you have to stay tight through your core, your balance is challenged, and your shoulder has to hold that weight locked out through 90-degrees of rotation. "Core Training #3" (out of the 10 core workouts you do over the course of the program) was a very interesting workout, as at the time I couldn't really decide if I was working the right muscles, but when I got up in the middle of the night I could feel that the entire girdle from my hips to my shoulder blades had just gotten worked.
Anyway, it seems like a movement that is worth adding to your arsenal. Just keep that elbow locked, especially on the way back down, as the DB is aligned with your head for a good part of the move. You have been warned.
Update: Via the Crossfit forums comes this excellent demonstration from the Art of Strength folks (WMV, 7MB).
One of the exercises that factors into my current program is standing rollouts on The Evil Wheel. A demo of how standing wheel rollouts should look is towards the end of Ross Enamait's Low-Tech, High Effect video. Ross makes it look easy, but this is an insanely difficult exercise. Not only is the abdominal strain the most intense of any bodyweight exercise I've tried, but it also hits just about every muscle from your shoulders to your shins.
The problem is, how does one progress to such an exercise?
First, safety: stay tight throught your body, and DO NOT let your back arch (i.e. your stomach drops). I haven't done this, but I can feel from the strain in my back as I get close that it would be bad, bad, bad.
As for the progression:
- Do rollouts from your knees to start.
- When you start doing standing rollouts, face a wall. When you rollout, the wheel will hit the wall, catching your descent. You can then reverse the motion.
- As you get more comfortable, move further and further back from the wall.
Power Rings are also a fabulous tool for learning this movement (note that version 2.0 of the rings are available for preorder, and $55 is a great price (limited time offer)). On rings the same move is called a Standing Jackknife. The exercise and progression are simple:
- Position the rings as close to the floor as you want. Bend at the waist, grab the rings, and push them away from you until you are fully laid out.
- To make the exercise easier, raise the rings and/or start with your feet closer to them.
- To make the exercise harder, lower the rings and/or start with your feet further away.
One of the great things about using rings for this is you can vary the resistance mid-set simply by stepping to/from the rings.
