by Sean St. Onge
Here, in another installment of the ever-changing and challenging world of core exercises, are a few movements Satan has developed and bestowed to us all. Remember, the Dark Lord only provides them in our dreams or as we lay awake late at night so we can feverishly jot them down into your next program.
Whenever I hear “I want to have abs”, all I ever think of is what is this person doing for their overall diet, and then if they already don’t “have” them when they lift their shirt up, I ponder “why do they hate food?”
Just kidding, but when it comes to having a strong set of abs and great core strength, there are plenty of moves that make you “feel” it. There are plenty of drills that can provide that stimulus, but bottom line, if you feel the need to “see” them, it isn’t always the lack of drills you are doing. You may need to change the foods hanging on the end of your forks.
But that is a worm hole for another day…
Supine Banded Pallof ISO Hold with Flutter Kicks:
Yea, I said it. Long name for this drill, but it’s got to be better than “Laying on your back while doing a belly press and doing Rockette kicks”.
Tether a band or cable pulley system 2-4 feet from your body. Laying on your back, glue your lumbar spine into the floor, pull the band/cable to your stomach for starting position. When ready, raise your legs to 90 degrees toward the ceiling and then from your belly, press the band/cable directly over your stomach. Feel out for the length needed for your legs to descend. Not everyone will have their feet come close to hitting the floor, nor is it needed. The key points are to maintain lumbar spine connection without causing pain while resisting the band/cable from pulling you to the tether, all while moving your legs.
Easy right???
Perform anywhere from 2-3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per leg. If you have too heavy of a resistance here it will negate the stimulus needed to challenge you, so keep it light to start.
Barbell 1 Arm Farmer Carries:
Why? Because it looks bad ass. But, if we are going to get into the real reasons, it is a fantastic anti-rotation drill and challenges the entire body while helping you have a fantastic grip, strong enough to rip the arms off Unkar Plutt. (Star Wars reference)
First off, the age old questions:
Why one arm? It provides a litmus test of which side of your body has better grip and global strength, allowing you to hone in and focus your efforts going forward.
What is the difference between a Farmer’s Walk and Farmer’s Carry?
A Farmer’s Walk is usually slow, precise, with no compensation and the walk is moderately smooth.
A Farmer’s Carry is fast, loaded much heavier, lots of movement and instability and compensation.
When choosing a weight, keep it moderate and progress to a higher weight when you can become efficient at the load chosen. How can you determine that? Practice a weight with 30 seconds per side. The time frame provides a great feedback for how difficult the hold will challenge your strength and grip control.
Give these a go and challenge/change your core work!
SOAP BOX…out.