Military Muscle: 2 new ways to work your abs - Off Duty, Military Health and Fitness - Navy Times

Military Muscle: 2 new ways to work your abs

What does your fitness program consist of when it comes to the “ab” part of the workout? Hundreds of sit-ups or crunches? The Russian Twist? Side bends and bicycle crunches?

The following alternatives not only work the ab muscles to a deeper level but also place much less stress on the spine and back.

Isometric ab exercises

Isometric exercises are done in a static position, in this case the plank and its many variations.

You start in the “up” push-up position but resting on your forearms and toes, with your body and hips in a straight line. Hold this position without letting your hips rise or drop or your lower back sag. As soon any of these things happens, the exercise is over. The goal is to hold this position for a minute. Start at three sets of 20 seconds with rest for 20 seconds.

Once you can hold the position perfectly for one minute, the progressions are to:

• Raise one leg off the deck so that the toe of the raised leg is level with the heel of the down leg. Switch legs halfway through, but keep your hip line level.

• Lift one arm off the deck and straight out in front of you. Switch arms halfway through, keeping your hip line straight.

• Bring one leg and the opposite arm off the deck, then switch halfway through. Keeping the hips level is where you get the results in your core.

Using bands for ‘reactive’ abs

Nothing in real life is executed in a static environment. Abs are no exception.

Since March, I’ve been incorporating this principle, based on Dave Schmitz’s “reactive” band training program, into my own training. This ab exercise forces the muscles to react against an applied force:

Use a band or tube with an appropriate amount of resistance for your fitness level — try a medium-resistance green or red band and work up or down from there.

Loop the band around a vertical post. Stand to either side of the post, and holding the band at chest level, side-step away from the post until you feel like you’re being pulled back. Get set in an athletic position — feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, trunk aligned straight, head up. With your hands in the center of your chest, extend them straight ahead and hold for a five count.

The band will be trying to pull you back, and your abs are fighting to keep you in position. Do five reps; turn and face the opposite direction; and repeat.

For more new ab exercises, send me an e-mail.

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Bob Thomas is director of the Navy Wellness Center in Pensacola, Fla. E-mail him at jomof14@cox.net.