I have heard your request and am pleased to announce that this month’s focus will be on our Abs!!!  

What are the Abdominal Muscles?

• External and Internal Obliques run diagonally on your side and help you bend from side to side and twist your torso.  Strong obliques help to support your back and improve your posture and stability.
• The Rectus Abdominis makes up the top layer of the abdominal muscles and is commonly referred to as your six-pack.  They are responsible for spinal flexion, such as is seen in a crunch.
• The Transverse Abdominis is the deepest ab muscle which wraps around the waist horizontally to support the spine.  It is basically the body’s natural “corset” muscle.  It is the muscle you engage to hold your tummy in when you think someone is looking your way. 🙂 

How Do We Make Abs More Visible?

To make your Abs more visible, you can’t just simply do some crunches and expect them to just stand up and show out.  We have to reduce the fat that surrounds them.  Think of your ab muscles as being in the middle of a fat sandwich.  On top of your Abs is subcutaneous fat (the fat you see) and underneath your Abs is visceral fat (the fat next to your organs).  When excess calories are continually consumed and you are continuously under stress, the subcutaneous areas begin to fill up.  When this happens, fat winds up being stored where it shouldn’t be stored: in your deep abdomen and in your liver (aka “visceral fat”).  Visceral fat is linked to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.  

It is almost impossible to tell by looking how much visceral fat your body is hiding inside.  However, there are a couple of measurement tests that you can give yourself to see if you might be at risk for obesity related disease.  Measure your waist at the smallest point of your midsection.  A woman should not measure greater than 35 inches.  Now measure your hips across the largest section.  Divide your waist measurement by the measurement of your hips.  Your waistline should be no greater than 80% of your hip measurement.  This waist-to-hip ratio is believed to measure your visceral fat risk.  

We all know we can’t spot-reduce fat but there are a few things we can do to help reduce our all over body fat percentage:

• Exercise the whole body several times a week. Make sure to strength train as well as raise and sustain the heart rate to burn more energy (calories)
• Limit trans fats
• Eat a balanced & nutritious diet that is full of healthy vegetables, whole grains, & lean proteins 
• Don’t overeat.  Watch portion sizes and stop eating before you’re full.

How Do We Train the Abs?

#1 – Functional Training 

Incorporate your abs and core into every workout and into everyday life.  One way to add ab work to your regular workout is by adding instability.  You can stand on one leg or sit on a stability ball to activate the core and work the abs.  Another functional way to work the abs is to lift heavier weight and make the abs work harder to hold your form. 

#2 – Isolation Training

Isolate and work each ab muscle group.  Crunches and crunch variations that flex the spine are going to work the rectus abdominis.  Specifically, when the upper body crunches, it works the upper rectus abdominis and when the legs or lower body is crunched in, it works the lower section.  Exercises that cross the midline of the body with a twisting motion are going to work the obliques while isometric exercises such as plank variations are going to work the transverse abdominis.  Target each section a few times a week and work slowly, concentrating on each contraction.  Your abs need time under tension to develop.

My Favorite Ab Exercises

• Plank with Movement (shoulder tap, knee drop, hip drop, plank jacks, or mt climbers)
• Side Planks
• Double Crunches (upper & lower crunch in)
• V-Up Crunch
• Crossover Crunches
• Heels to Heaven (reverse crunch)
• Dead Bug
• Stability Ball Pike Knee Tuck
• Stability Ball Pass Crunch
• Captain’s Chair Leg Raises
• Pilates in general

AB-tastic April Challenge

Star each day you do 5-10 minutes of Ab exercises and earn a bonus star for each day you do something positive to reduce your overall body fat that will help reveal those hard earned ABs!!

• 12 stars = Got-R-done!
• 16 = Above & Beyond
• 20 = Rockstar
• 25+ = Legendary Beast

April Camp News

Pay Online

Live @ FLC – $60

• Starts Mon, April 4th
• Choose 5:30am or 7:30am for Fit Camp, or 8:30am for BASIC30
• Dates: 4 · 6 · 11 · 13 · 18 · 20 · 25 · 27 (8 sessions)
• $60

@Home – $30

• Workout anytime at home by video
• YouTube Playlist Link available by April 1st (8 pre-recorded starter videos w/ 2 new videos are added weekly)
• If possible, workout with me on Thursdays via Zoom as I record new videos — 7:30am(Fit Camp) or 8:30am(BASIC30)
• Zoom Recording Dates: 7 · 14 · 21 · 28 (4 recording sessions)
• $30

Full Access – $85

• Why settle for just Live or @Home when you can have both!!  You can workout with me and our FLC crew Live on Mondays and Wednesdays (as many classes as you want) and have access to videos to do @Home on any other day of the month.  What better way to get in shape and stay in shape!!

A La Carte: $10/per class or 5 classes for $45, 6 for $50, 7 for $55

Package payments must be made in advance, they are non transferable, and are only good for the month of the Boot Camp for which they were purchased. Payment options include: Cash, Check, Card, Cash App, paypal.me/followmefit, Venmo, Google Pay, & Zelle.

Links:

More Camp Info | Camp Registration | Pay Online | followmefit.net