When we do consultations with new clients the most common target area that they want to work on is their abs. They want to get rid of those love handles and trim up that gut! To improve your abs you have to be willing to put in a lot of hard work, but you also have to constantly throw in new challenges to stimulate further progress. Your abs will adapt to your exercise regimen quickly so we recommend that you try a few new tricks each week. We are going to teach you three new exercises that you can use to shock your abs and stimulate progress.
Watch this video first and then see the helpful tips below:
The Electric Chair: Using the rings is a great way to shock your abs and nothing is more shocking than the electric chair! As you can see in the video you want to have your elbows, hips, and knees bent to 90 degrees and then you hold tight. There are a couple of ways to work this into your routine. A nice way to start would be to do 5 sets of max hold time. Rest about 30-60 seconds in between each set. Once your elbows or hips fall out of that 90 degree position then the timer stops. Measure progress by how much time you can accumulate in the 5 sets. Another great way to use this movement is to set a total hold time and do as many sets as it takes to get there. So if you want to hold for a total of 5 minutes you would just stop the clock every time you come out of that 90 degree position. As an added bonus this movement will also rock your arms and upper back and improve your pull up power!
The Power Plank: This is a serious upgrade to the traditional plank. The key here is to try and rip up the floor by applying pressure as you crunch your elbows toward your toes. You will start to shake almost immediately and you will last about half as long as a traditional plank and hold. Try this one out for one set of max time at the end of your workout.
Booher Abs: Do NOT attempt this one if you have any neck issues! This is an exercise that I picked up from a local gymnastics coach named Michael Booher of Rising Star Gymnastics (check out their website HERE). I have been working on building up my hand stand hold power (another great exercise for your abs!) and Michael gave me this drill to do. The first time I did this my abs started to cramp up and I fell in love! This one is a lot tougher than you think. The key is to keep your legs as straight as possible and control the entire movement. You have to avoid the urge to kick your legs up with momentum with that top position. It is all controlled through your abs and core muscles. Start out slow with this one and build up. Do sets of 5-8 reps with 30-60 seconds of rest in between sets. Once your form breaks down it is time to call it a day on this one.
Try adding these exercises into your core training regimen over the next few weeks and be ready to see some progress with those abs!
