I have to say, this is one of THE strangest abdominal exercises you'll ever see...but also one of THE most effective!
You're not going to be doing any crunching or twisting or squeezing. There are no machines involved...no need to even focus on contracting the core muscles.
Because once you start doing this exercise, your body will have NO CHOICE but to fire the abs HARD in order to do it!
For this exercise, all you need is a pair of dumbells and a floor. That's it!
The dumbells should be a moderate weight - something you'd use for sets of 5 reps on dumbell curls, perhaps. In the demo, I'm using 65 lb dumbells and those were a good weight for me.
This exercise is going to teach you what core strength and stability are REALLY all about! First, I'm going to explain how to do it, then I'll give you the full rundown on why it's so good.
How To Do It:
You'll need some open floor space for this exercise - preferably where you have about 10 to 15 feet of unobstructed space to move. Set the dumbells on the floor then get down in what looks like the top of a close-grip push-up position. Your hands will be on the handles of the dumbells and you'll be up on your toes (not kneeling). Try to visualize the "start" position that sprinters are in when they're about to take off out of the blocks - THIS is what the position looks like.
Now you're going to CRAWL forward in that position...move the LEFT dumbell forward a few inches and step your RIGHT foot forward a few inches.
It's definitely easier to "get" this one when you see it done on video (which, of course, I'll be posting a link to at the end of the article).
Basically, you're going to be crawling on the floor with your hands weighted by the dumbells. Crawl forward about 10 feet like this then stop and crawl BACKWARDS.
Sound easy? Think again...
Why This Exercise Is So Effective:
Dumbell crawling is a VERY effective core exercise because of the uneven tension you get through your core with every step forward you take.
Think of it this way...when you're lifting up your left hand (with the dumbell) and the right foot, what is supporting your body? The support is coming from your OTHER hand and foot. Your core is, in an instant, going from 4-point support to 2-point support and all the tension is going diagonally through your core. It doesn't seem like much when you're crawling without weight, but add a dumbell to the mix? You'll be singing a different tune...
In addition, while crawling, you're also supporting your bodyweight in a pike position, working the entire abdominal area isometrically (which means without movement - just acting to stabilize and brace your body position). It's a two-pronged attack on your core that will pay off BIG.
One of the great things about this exercise is that the strength you develop is EXTREMELY functional. Forget standing on a BOSU ball on one leg and catching a beanbag...THIS exercise will build functional power through the core.
The diagonal tension of crawling exactly mimics the natural diagonal tension that goes through the core when walking, running and jumping. Think of it as "force transfer" strength, meaning you'll be better able to transfer force through your core when moving (i.e. running, jumping, etc.).
Increasing strength in this very targeted way will have an IMMEDIATE and powerful carryover to sports performance.
And when you start moving BACKWARDS...you'll be in for a shock! It's actually quite a bit tougher moving backwards. The co-ordination can be a bit tricky but with practice, you should do fine.
When you're doing this exercise, start with a light to moderate weight but don't be afraid to increase the weight here. You may not feel it so much in the abs until you move up in weight. THAT is where the real benefits of the exercise will be felt.
Conclusion:
If core strength and performance are important goals in your training, DEFINITELY give this exercise a try. As strange as it may look, it's actually EXTREMELY effective for working the core. In a nutshell, it's going to TRASH your abs!
Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of BetterU, Inc., an internet- based personal training company. He has been training for more than 14 years and has been a personal trainer for more than 8 years. He is the author of the training eBooks "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of", "Gluteus to the Maximus" and "Specialization Training".
Friday, February 13, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The 8 week Interval Training Fat Loss Blast
8 Week Cardio Interval Training Blast! Get Increased Fat Loss AND Take Your Cardio Fitness To A Whole New Level
By Nick Nilsson
This detailed cardio program will take you from an interval-
training beginner to interval-training pro in only 8 weeks!
This step-by-step progression guides you through the most
effective types of intervals to maximize your results.
Interval training is one of THE most effective ways to burn fat while preserving muscle. When using cardio training for fat loss, I recommend it almost exclusively in my programs! This nice thing is, interval training is also one of THE most effective ways to improve your overall cardiovascular capacity as well.
There is a LOT of good information available on what intervals are and how to perform them. But what often seems to be missing is a detailed plan that helps you progress from Point A (just starting out with interval training) to Point B (performing the more challenging interval training techniques).
The trick is knowing where to start and how to progress from there. You can't just jump in and start sprinting up hills without knowing what you're doing and building yourself up to it. That's a good way to not only hurt yourself but exhaust yourself as well!
So in response to this, I've designed an interval training progression plan that gets you started with the more introductory-level types of interval training then gradually moves you into the more intense and challenging interval training techniques.
I'll lay out how many intervals to do, which style of interval training to do and how long to do it for. This progression plan will also give you good variety in your cardio training, which I'm sure you know can get VERY dull if you keep doing it the same way over and over.
You see, just like with weight training, you need to constantly challenge and even shock your body in order to continue making progress. Otherwise, your body simply has no reason to adapt and get better. This plan will do it for you!
The overall goals with this cardio program are fat loss and improving cardiovascular capacity. This type of training is NOT a plan I would recommend if you're trying to build muscle. When training to build muscle, you want to keep cardio training down to a lower maintenance level (once or twice a week at most) and this is not a program that does that.
The program is based on doing cardio training 3 times per week and can be applied to basically any method or apparatus of cardio training, be it running, cycling, elliptical machine, stair machine, etc. Any cardio based sports activity will work as well (e.g. swimming, rollerblading).
Choose whatever cardio activity works best for you, that you enjoy the most or that you'd most like to improve your performance in, e.g. if you're a runner, using running as the activity for your interval training.
You can certainly utilize different cardio activities as you go through the program, e.g. use treadmill running one day then the elliptical machine the next. The real key lies in the intensity with which you do the activities!
Before you start in on the program, I would encourage you to read through the following two articles. They'll help you understand what interval training is all about and introduce you to the different types of interval training.
---
What Do You Mean Low-Intensity Training Isn't The Best For Fat Burning?
The Insider Secrets of Interval Training - Learn How Now!
---
Now it's time to have a look at the program!
The following link will take you to a page from the Trial Membership area of my site "Powerful Training Secrets."
You DO NOT have to sign up for anything to get the interval progression program, but if you haven't yet signed up for your trial membership, I'd definitely encourage you to do so!
I regularly post exciting new training information in the Trial site...and I post a whole lot more in the full membership site itself!
Powerful Training Secrets
When you get to the page, scroll down towards the bottom. That's where you'll find the full, step-by-step program for getting yourself from interval training beginner to interval training pro in only 8 weeks!
The program starts with a technique known as Aerobic Interval Training - basically, a way to begin learning how to increase training intensity without burning yourself out. Over the next two weeks, your intensity will gradually be increased within the context of Aerobic Intervals.
As you continue through the program, you'll notice how the intervals are continually getting just a bit more challenging - rest times are changing as are work times.
By the time you get to the final few weeks of the program, you'll be in great shape and ready for anything!
If, at any time in the program you feel you need to take a bit more time to adapt to it, feel free to perform another week of the same type of interval training you just did. This program isn't written in stone and you DO need to listen to your body.
So check out the program and if you have any questions about it as you're reading or as you're doing it, please feel free to drop me an email at betteru@fitstep.com!
Here's the link to the interval training program page once again:
Powerful Training Secrets
---
INTERVAL EQUIPMENT NOTE:
If you need a good timer for your intervals, check out the GymBoss timer. I've been using one recently and it really works like a charm. Unlike a lot of other timers, it actually has a vibrate feature that means you don't have to experience loud beeping to know when your time is up (great if you train with headphones on!).
You can set the timer to time different work and rest intervals (e.g. 2 minutes work, 1 minute rest can be programmed in), which is very nice. It's also not too expensive (about 20 US dollars). The timer clips on and is a neat little piece of equipment - very useful for intervals and also for timing your rest periods when weight training.
You can get one here:
gymboss timer
------------------
Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 16 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including "Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of" fitstep.com
By Nick Nilsson
This detailed cardio program will take you from an interval-
training beginner to interval-training pro in only 8 weeks!
This step-by-step progression guides you through the most
effective types of intervals to maximize your results.
Interval training is one of THE most effective ways to burn fat while preserving muscle. When using cardio training for fat loss, I recommend it almost exclusively in my programs! This nice thing is, interval training is also one of THE most effective ways to improve your overall cardiovascular capacity as well.
There is a LOT of good information available on what intervals are and how to perform them. But what often seems to be missing is a detailed plan that helps you progress from Point A (just starting out with interval training) to Point B (performing the more challenging interval training techniques).
The trick is knowing where to start and how to progress from there. You can't just jump in and start sprinting up hills without knowing what you're doing and building yourself up to it. That's a good way to not only hurt yourself but exhaust yourself as well!
So in response to this, I've designed an interval training progression plan that gets you started with the more introductory-level types of interval training then gradually moves you into the more intense and challenging interval training techniques.
I'll lay out how many intervals to do, which style of interval training to do and how long to do it for. This progression plan will also give you good variety in your cardio training, which I'm sure you know can get VERY dull if you keep doing it the same way over and over.
You see, just like with weight training, you need to constantly challenge and even shock your body in order to continue making progress. Otherwise, your body simply has no reason to adapt and get better. This plan will do it for you!
The overall goals with this cardio program are fat loss and improving cardiovascular capacity. This type of training is NOT a plan I would recommend if you're trying to build muscle. When training to build muscle, you want to keep cardio training down to a lower maintenance level (once or twice a week at most) and this is not a program that does that.
The program is based on doing cardio training 3 times per week and can be applied to basically any method or apparatus of cardio training, be it running, cycling, elliptical machine, stair machine, etc. Any cardio based sports activity will work as well (e.g. swimming, rollerblading).
Choose whatever cardio activity works best for you, that you enjoy the most or that you'd most like to improve your performance in, e.g. if you're a runner, using running as the activity for your interval training.
You can certainly utilize different cardio activities as you go through the program, e.g. use treadmill running one day then the elliptical machine the next. The real key lies in the intensity with which you do the activities!
Before you start in on the program, I would encourage you to read through the following two articles. They'll help you understand what interval training is all about and introduce you to the different types of interval training.
---
What Do You Mean Low-Intensity Training Isn't The Best For Fat Burning?
The Insider Secrets of Interval Training - Learn How Now!
---
Now it's time to have a look at the program!
The following link will take you to a page from the Trial Membership area of my site "Powerful Training Secrets."
You DO NOT have to sign up for anything to get the interval progression program, but if you haven't yet signed up for your trial membership, I'd definitely encourage you to do so!
I regularly post exciting new training information in the Trial site...and I post a whole lot more in the full membership site itself!
Powerful Training Secrets
When you get to the page, scroll down towards the bottom. That's where you'll find the full, step-by-step program for getting yourself from interval training beginner to interval training pro in only 8 weeks!
The program starts with a technique known as Aerobic Interval Training - basically, a way to begin learning how to increase training intensity without burning yourself out. Over the next two weeks, your intensity will gradually be increased within the context of Aerobic Intervals.
As you continue through the program, you'll notice how the intervals are continually getting just a bit more challenging - rest times are changing as are work times.
By the time you get to the final few weeks of the program, you'll be in great shape and ready for anything!
If, at any time in the program you feel you need to take a bit more time to adapt to it, feel free to perform another week of the same type of interval training you just did. This program isn't written in stone and you DO need to listen to your body.
So check out the program and if you have any questions about it as you're reading or as you're doing it, please feel free to drop me an email at betteru@fitstep.com!
Here's the link to the interval training program page once again:
Powerful Training Secrets
---
INTERVAL EQUIPMENT NOTE:
If you need a good timer for your intervals, check out the GymBoss timer. I've been using one recently and it really works like a charm. Unlike a lot of other timers, it actually has a vibrate feature that means you don't have to experience loud beeping to know when your time is up (great if you train with headphones on!).
You can set the timer to time different work and rest intervals (e.g. 2 minutes work, 1 minute rest can be programmed in), which is very nice. It's also not too expensive (about 20 US dollars). The timer clips on and is a neat little piece of equipment - very useful for intervals and also for timing your rest periods when weight training.
You can get one here:
gymboss timer
------------------
Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 16 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including "Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of" fitstep.com
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)