Ronnie Coleman Works Abs

Don’t think for a second that Ronnie doesn’t have a strong core. He does. It’s just that he’s so massive that he can’t move too much and any movement like that of a crunch involves him lifting his massive torso which isn’t easy. In short, the guy is superhero strong but he’s sacrificed other aspects of health and fitness to achieve this.

Space Fitness

Astronauts need to keep fit in space. In zero gravity situations, we lose bone and muscle mass. Astronauts need to work out inside the spacecraft to minimize these effects. Wouldn’t it be interesting to have a look at how they manage to do this?

Core Training Made Simple: Part 4 – Advanced Exercises

For those looking to challenge their abs and core musculature, you’ve come to the right place. By the time you reach this stage you should know what you’re doing so I’ll just fire out some of the best exercises that I know for the core.

Weight Loss Time Lapse

I saw Adam Water’s weight loss video a while back but I happened to bump into it again today so I thought I’d put it on the blog. Adam took a picture of himself every day as he lost weight. The result is a video that shows 84 days of weight loss in 48 seconds.

Doctor Oz does the Sun Salutation

I’ve been into mainly strength training (weights and gymnastics conditioning) for the last few years but yoga has recently caught my eye. In particular, there is a fundamental series of 12 yoga positions called the Sun Salutation which is quick to do and is a nice way to start or end the day. I find that it helps to open up the chest, loosen the back and give you a lift in the morning. It’s meditative qualities also help to relax at night and in general it’s a nice fluid movement to raise your awareness of your own body. If that’s still not got you interested then you may be interested to learn that the good Doctor Oz also does the sun salutation in the morning. On the Oprah site, he gives detailed explanations of each position with pictures.

Core Training Made Simple: Part 3 – Intermediate Exercises

The best intermediate exercise for the core is the Hanging Leg Raise. Why? This exercise can be made easier or harder very easily. It is this progression that makes the Leg Raise so useful. Oh, and it also hits the abs real nice.

How not to Use a Swiss Ball

You can use the ball for some core exercises, sitting on at work (if you work at Google) and of course, bouncing, as you would any kind of ball. It stops there. The Swiss Ball is not a miraculous tool that transforms your workout. It is a tool that may be useful or fun but is also very limited.

What the Hell are Stall Bars for Anyway? Part 1

I was the only person that hung from the stall bars at my local gym. They put up a sign saying hanging was unsafe and prohibited and pointed it out to me. They explained that the wooden thingy was for stretching only and to be used with care. I left the gym soon after.

Core Training Made Simple: Part 2 – Beginner Core Exercises

If you are in real poor shape then maybe the crunch will be a good place to start. You really shouldn’t stay on the crunch for too long but it can help you to start using those abs if it’s been a while. The longer we don’t use a muscle, the more dysfunctional it becomes. Most people these days have dysfunctional abs and actually need to re-learn how to contract them. If this sounds like where you are then by all means start with a crunch.

Core Training Made Simple: Part 1

A strong core means well-coordinated movement that allows for power and good posture and protects against injury. A weak core increases the chance of injury and poor posture and is not the basis for well-coordinated or powerful movement.