Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Nat's Ab Routine

Bear with me - this is my first post here and it might not look as nice as Alex's!

Here is my go-to ab workout:

1. 100 crunches (alternate 10 with legs up, 10 with legs down until done).  When legs are up, have thighs vertical and lower legs parallel to the ground.

2. If you have gym access, do leg raises (20 reps) leg raise machine.  Ideally try to keep legs straight and raise them up parallel to the ground in one controlled motion.  If that is too hard, you can bend your legs and do knee-raises instead.

3. Leg-lifts with crunches.  This is my favorite.  Position1 is legs straight, 6 inches above the ground.  Position2 is legs at 45 degrees, still straight.  Position 3 is legs straight up, kept as straight as possible.  At each position, do 10 crunches focusing on crunch form*.  Alternate between positions doing 10 crunches on each as follows: position 1, position 2, position 3, position 2, position 1.  Repeat this process as many times as you can (I usually feel a good burn after the first one, and do 3 complete rotations in total).

4. On the incline sit-up bench, do 20 full sit-ups.  Grab a 10 pound weight or increase the angle of the incline if they are too easy.

5. Again on the incline sit-up bench, grab a weight (I like 25lbs, find what works for you).  Lower your upper body until it is parallel to the ground, but not touching the bench, while holding the weight slightly off your chest, with elbows pointed outward.  Rotate your upper body left and right, repeating 5 times.  Do a crunch, and return to the parallel to the ground position.  Repeat, but increase the number of rotations to 6, 7, 8, 9 and finally 10.  The 8th, 9th and 10th should burn a lot!

6. Finally, do 30 normal crunches, focusing on technique*, followed by 30 crunches with your legs completely rotated to the right, 30 crunches with your legs to the right, 30 with legs up (like in number 1), and finally straighten your legs as much as possible, pointed straight up.  Reach your hands up and try to touch your toes using abdominal crunches to raise your hands to meet your feet.  Your arms should be making the motion, not your feet.

*Proper crunch technique is hard to explain, but here are a few quick tips to make your crunches more effective:
- Think about contracting your abs on each repetition.
- Press your lower back into the ground (this pairs well with the first tip)
- Focus on raising your upper back straight up - it should not be a crunch as much as an upper-back raise.  Don't think about pulling your elbows to your knees, instead think about pulling your shoulders towards the ceiling.
- Breathe out when you crunch, breathe back in when you relax

Happy work-outs!

Monday, February 24, 2014

Arms and Abs

Get ready for push-ups today!


  • 20 Jumping Jacks
  • 20 Dynamic Arm swings (switching which arm is on top each time)


  • Triceps Stretches (there are two and do them both on each arm)





  • 10 Inclined Push-Ups (can use almost anything to put your feet on)



  • 5 Up Down Planks



  • 5 Burpees




  • 30 Big Arm Circles (15 in each direction)
  • 15 Wall Push-Ups



  • 10 Kneeling Push-Ups
  • 5 Burpees
  • 5 Cobra Push-Ups



  • 5 sets of 10 V-Ups


And repeat.



Good luck and get big!

Alex

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Core!

Hi CIA! 

Here is the workout that I did today, I've also added some pictures to help you know what some of the exercises are.

Have fun!!

Do 2 sets of 20 for each exercise.

  • Side Crunches (each side)

  • Supermans
  • Crunches
  • Leg Raises
  • Flutter kicks
  • 1 Minute Plank (only do this once or twice)
  • Cross Crunches
  • Bicycle Crunches
  • Turtles