After 12 years as a Tulsa personal trainer and fitness coach for thousands of clients, I’ve come to realize that EVERYBODY loves working their abs!
No matter if you’re male or female, young or old, everyone dreams of having a tight, lean waistline and rock-solid set of abs!
With that in mind, let’s look at how to properly train the abs and entire core area because most folks are going about it the wrong way.
Hopefully you’re not trying to get six-pack abs by using some ab gizmo apparatus seen on late night infomercials… or doing nothing but endless crunches and sit-ups.
Spot reduction doesn’t work and doing sits and crunches promote excessive flexion of the lumbar spine which can result in serious spinal injuries like bulging or herniated discs.
If you look at the anatomy of the “core,” you’ll see it represents more of a cross-hatched web, which indicates that its main role is to act as a stabilizer.
The 21st century approach to core training emphasizes stabilization in all 3 planes of movement: sagittal, frontal, and transverse.
The goal of proper core training is to teach anti-flexion, anti-extension, and anti-rotation through various static and dynamic core stability exercises.
A true abs program should be designed to improve mobility and strengthen the abs, butt, and shoulders to help eliminate aches and pains, reduce the risk of injury, improve performance… and yes, give you a flat washboard stomach!
Below is a picture from the circuit portion of the A.B.S. (abs, butt, shoulders) class I just recently did for my boot camp and training clients.
Tulsa Personal Trainer’s Recommended Exercises
Here are the “core/ab emphasis” exercises we performed in this specific circuit:
Exercise 1: Kettlebell Goblet Squat with horizontal vector band resistance
Exercise 2: TRX ab roll-outs
Exercise 3: Medicine Ball Diagonal Wood Chops
Exercise 4: X-Band Lateral Hip Walks
Exercise 5: Battle Ropes Side-to-Side Waves
My clients absolutely loved the entire A.B.S. workout! I’m getting so much positive feedback that I’m planning to make the A.B.S. class a mainstay in our ongoing group training schedule.
If you want to experience firsthand what true core/ab training is all about then let me know and I can reserve your spot in our next A.B.S. class. The last class filled up as soon as I mentioned it and had a wait list. So if you are interested, don’t delay!
If you’re ready to take your core/ab training to the next level while also bulletproofing your back and reducing your risk of injury and eliminating pain then you need to try out my program and see what you think! Just give me a call at (918)296-7418 or email [email protected]
And with summer almost here it’s a great time to be working on your 6-pack abs!
Clint
Clint Howard, MS is the Founder/Director of Tulsa Fitness Systems located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Clint has a bachelors degree in Health & Exercise Science and a masters degree in Exercise Physiology, both from the University of Oklahoma. Clint is a certified Tulsa personal trainer through the National Strength & Conditioning Association and American College of Sports Medicine, Certified Boot Camp Instructor through the National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association, and is also a Titleist Performance Institute Certified Golf Fitness Trainer. Clint can be reached at (918) 296-7418 or by email at [email protected]