3 Ab Exercises NEVER to Do for YOUR Body Type
On Sunday afternoon we had perfect Toronto weather for a lazy day spent wandering around the fancy Yorkville shopping area. I don’t do much shopping, so while I sat outside of a Lululemon store waiting, I watched hundreds of people of all shapes and sizes and backgrounds walk by. That’s one of the great things about Toronto. The city is home to people from every country in the world.
Unlike the huge number of countries in the world (196 according to Google), there are only THREE main body types. You can be a mesomorph (more muscular), an ectomorph (naturally skinny like my old man), or an endomorph (cursed with a naturally ‘softer middle’, like many of my relatives).
Today you’re going to discover ONE ab exercise for each body type that you should NEVER do. These exercises are naturally bad for certain individuals. For example…
#1 – Endomorphs Should NEVER Do Weighted Side Bends
If you’re struggling with a little extra belly fat or inches on your love handles, the LAST thing you want to do is add more meat there. But that’s what weighted side bends do. So stop this. It’s also a waste (waist) of time, no pun intended (okay, totally intended!). Frankly, no one should ever do this exercise again unless you are a competitive powerlifter. And if you don’t know how to do this move, consider yourself lucky! Don’t learn it.
#2 – Never Do Weighted Sit-Ups if You Are Muscular
Mesomorphs are blessed with an easier ability to gain an inch on their arms and slabs of muscle on their chest (a big plus for most men), but if you do too many weighted flexion moves (like sit-ups or crunches), you could add inches to your waist and belly, too. That means tighter belts and possibly even the need for bigger pants. Plus, any flexion move is dangerous for your low back. Again, NO ONE should be doing these, especially folks that are naturally muscular.
#3 – Skinny Folks Should Never ‘Do the Twist’
Have you ever watched a person put a broomstick on their shoulders and twist left and right, thinking that this will whittle down their waistline? Well, it doesn’t work, and it’s downright dangerous, especially for less-muscled ectomorphs (naturally skinny people).
You should NEVER do any twisting and flexion exercises, like the broomstick twist, Russian twists, seated ab machine twists, or Chubby Checker twists. (The latter for avoiding embarrassing Facebook photos and blackmail, of course!).
I’m serious. Everyone, especially skinny folks, should avoid all twisting moves.
What’s a better way to train your abs? You need to work your way through this progression, building a core-strength base and then beautiful beach body abs.
Plank
Side Plank
Mountain Climber
Stability Ball Plank
Cross-Body Mountain Climbers
Stability Ball or TRX Jackknives
Ab Wheel Rollouts or TRX Fallouts
Those 7 moves will give you amazing abs…but only if you get rid of the stubborn belly fat covering your abs like a parka covers my body in a Canadian winter. Use these techniques to melt off every last bit of fat around your midsection and get sleek, sexy abs like the ones in my world-famous photo:
Do your ab training right,
Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer
PS – Take this approach today no matter how tough it gets…
Stay positive, look at every day and every moment as a learning experience…and become the best “student of yourself” that you can.
Find out what works for you, and what doesn’t. Then do more of what does, and avoid those situations that tempt you into the wrong decisions.
Be proud about what you want to achieve, and communicate clearly about what you must do to get there.
Of course, we all make mistakes and temptation gets to us all. But look at every stumble as the greatest gift…a learning experience to become better. You can change and achieve your goals. I believe in you. Your time is now. Let’s go!
PPS – I love hearing your replies like this one…
“Craig, you wrote:
No matter how dark the day, no matter how deep the dip in your life, when all else fails all you can do is keep on pushing. It’s what you must do no matter what life throws at you. Never lose your drive and determination. Never give up on something that is important to you. Keep on pushing through anything and everything. No matter what.
Craig, you have no idea how this affected me. My husband died just over a month ago, and I have been through the darkest days and deepest despair of my life, and just trying to find my way and purpose has been an impossible task.
However, he has left a legacy (he was a musician, and so am I) that I am going to keep alive. He has also inspired me to pursue my own musical path in ways I would not have considered before. I am determined to push through anything and everything to make this happen. Thank you.” – Sabina Siefert