How To Get Killer Abs At Home
By Craig Ballantyne, MS, CSCS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com
For some people, ab training is like taking out the garbage – it has a bad habit of being put off until tomorrow. But that’s not surprising, considering how busy most of our lives are these days.
So whether it’s your kids that need your help with their homework, or a project that the boss wants you to finish on your own time, chances are you often have to cut your workout short so that you can get home and get some work done. All too often, ab training is the first thing to get cut in your workout.
But what happens after you finish your evening projects, and the guilt of skipping your abs comes settling into your mind? You kick yourself, don’t you? You think that you should have spent at least five minutes on your abs at the gym. Instead, now you’re going to spend the next 24 or 48 hours shaking your head and wishing you had done your abs at the gym when you had access to the gym’s equipment. After all, you can’t do a great ab workout at home, can you?
Well guess what? Of course you can! All you need are up to 12 minutes a night, two times each week to do all the ab work you need to take your mid-section to the next level. This “abs at home” program doesn’t require anything other than a Stability Ball, which is cheap, yet effective for sharpening up your abs into shredded condition. And not only is this “abs at home” workout great for building cover model abs, it’s also easier on your low-back than doing an endless number of traditional sit-ups.
This short ab workout requires you to perform two Supersets. Perform the exercises in the Superset back to back with no rest between them, and perform each Superset up to three times. Zip through the entire session in as little time as possible, and you’ll feel no guilt for slipping in an extra workout.
You’ll start your “abs at home” training by doing a full body abdominal exercise called Mountain Climbers. These will target your abs from the pelvis towards the rib cage, in addition to challenging your upper body strength. It also prepares the muscles of your entire body for the rest of the exercises to come.
Mountain Climbers are paired in the first Superset with Stability Ball Crunches. Go extra slow as you lower your torso in each repetition, to work your abs extra hard. These two exercises complete your first of two supersets.
In the second Superset, you’ll pair a Stability Ball Rollout with a Side Plank. The Ball Rollout focuses on your abs from the top down, while the Side Plank builds muscle endurance in your abs and oblique muscles.
Do this workout twice per week for 4 weeks before switching up the exercises.
The "KILLER ABS AT HOME" Workout
Exercise Sets Reps
A1 -Mountain Climber 3X20 per side
A2 -Stability Ball Crunch 3X10
B1 -Stability Ball Rollout 3X10
B2 -Side Plank 3X1 8-10 seconds per side
* A1 & A2, and B1 & B2 denote superset pairs
MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
Brace your abs.
Start in the top of the push-up position.
Keep your abs braced, pick one foot up off the floor, and slowly bring your knee up to your chest.
Do not let your hips sag or rotate.
Keep your abs braced and slowly return your leg to the start position.
Alternate sides until you complete all of the required repetitions.
STABILITY BALL CRUNCH
Lie on the stability ball with your feet spread slightly greater than shoulder width apart on the floor (a wider stance equals greater stability and an easier exercise).
Curl your shoulder blades off the ball as if performing a regular abdominal crunch off the floor. Return to the start position.
Take 3 seconds to lower your upper body back to the ball.
STABILITY BALL ROLLOUT
Kneel on a mat and place your clasped hands on the top of a medium sized ball.
Brace your abs and slowly lean forward and roll your hands over the ball while the ball moves away from your body.
Keep your body in a straight line and go as far as you can with perfect form.
Contract your abs and reverse the motion to return to the upright position.
SIDE PLANK
Lie on a mat on your right side.
Support your bodyweight with your knees and on your right elbow.
Raise your body in a straight line so that your body hovers over the mat.
Keep your back straight and your hips up. Hold your abs tight. Contract them as if someone was about to punch you in the stomach, but breath normally.
Hold this position for the recommended amount of time or 8-10 seconds if you are doing multiple repetitions.
About Craig Ballantyne
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, M.Sc., is one of the top Strength & Conditioning coaches in North America. He trains athletes and executives in Toronto and is a member of the Training Advisory Boards for Men's Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines. Craig also works extensively with athletes and is currently a consultant to Rugby Canada helping the National Team prepare for the 2007 World Cup. Craig's fat loss and workout tips are featured every month in Men's Fitness and Maximum Fitness, and in numerous on-line newsletters. Craig’s trademarked Turbulence Training workouts and comprehensive workout manuals are featured on his website.
About Craig's Trademarked "TurbulenceTraining System"
This is the training method that Men’s Fitness magazine and elite personal trainers are calling the most effective fat loss training system in the world. Craig Ballantyne’s trademarked Turbulence Training system allows you to burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions, without fancy equipment and provides an exciting new alternative to the time consuming traditional weight training workouts you see in the muscle magazines. You will enjoy challenging, sweat-pouring workouts that burn the most fat humanly possible in the shortest period of time. No other workout program compares to Turbulence Training when it comes to time efficiency. The workouts are ideal for busy executives, students or parents with young children. In just 50 minutes or less, three days per week, you can get leaner, stronger, fitter and more muscular with a total strength and cardio workout, and you can even do it in the privacy of your own home. No fancy or expensive machines are needed since you can do so many of the exercise with your own body weight. To learn more, click the link below:
www.TURBULENCE TRAINING .COM
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