Under-Rated Abs Workouts
Thanks to all my past ab workouts and Turbulence Training sessions, I had a great time around the Hard Rock Hotel pool in San Diego on Memorial weekend.
Believe it or not, I also ran 6-7 miles on Saturday morning…
But why?
Because my friend Bedros Keuilian is running the San Diego marathon with his wife next weekend, and he invited me on a training run. The next day I was sore…but not as bad as I thought. But don’t get too excited, I don’t plan on running a marathon anytime soon.
I also had a couple of great weight workouts, and visited a cool gym called Fit. Right downtown by the ballpark.
This weekend, I’m off to NYC for a meeting and I’m going to the world-famous “Per Se” restaurant (one of the world’s ten best)…and then spending 3 days in the Renegade Gym with Jason Ferruggia.
More info in the 7-week fat loss guide:
Click here to listen to the call
Now let’s get into the TT Workout and tips…
Monday – June 7th
Transformation Tip of the Week:
I actually want to share the May 2010 Turbulence Training Success Story of the Month. This month’s winner of the 1-year Platinum TT Membership is Chris, from Nashville.
Here’s his story…
“Craig, I just wanted to send a note to let you know that your Turbulence Training program has been a great blessing to me in the past 5 weeks. For a little background, as of last December, I was 5’8″, 248 pounds, depressed, and struggling with diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol. I was almost ready to give up on life completely. I wound up in the hospital overnight due to stroke-level blood pressure.
Once I got out, something awoke inside of me. I quit my pack and a half a day cigarette habit, stopped eating garbage food, and began exercising. Within a month I had already lost 25 pounds. Then, I discovered Turbulence Training on the internet. I thought this may be the program to take me to the next level and I was totally right.
I embarked on the 4-week beginner workout and shed another 10 pounds. I’m now in week one of the intermediate workout and, while it’s a challenge, I know it’s going to keep my progress moving forward. I haven’t felt this good since high school and my wife and kids are thankful that it looks like I will be sticking around a little longer.
You don’t know this but you have played a role in saving my life and I owe you big time. Thanks for spreading your fantastic workout with all of us and please keep up the good work. I am forever changed.”
Chris C.,
Nashville, TN
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Wow, amazing!
Congratulations Chris, stay strong and get healthy!
And if you have a TT Success Story, please send it to:
Support (AT) TurbulenceTraining.com
Thank you! 
Now for an under-rated abs workout…
1A) Chin-ups OR Underhand Inverted Row – As Many Reps As Possible (2-0-1) – You could also use the chinup with knee up, or the V-grip Chinup
1B) Max Push-ups – As Many Reps As Possible (1-0-1) – Lately I’ve been playing around with ring pushups and those are even harder for your abs.
1C) DB Forward Lunge – 8 reps per side (2-0-1)
Rest 1 minute & repeat 1 more time for a total of 2 supersets.
2A) DB Step-Up – 10 reps per side (2-0-1)
2B) Stability Ball DB Pullover – 12 reps (3-0-1)
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.
3A) DB Renegade Row – 8 reps per side (1-0-1)
3B) KB Swings – 20 reps (1-0-1)
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.
4) Bodyweight Intervals
4A) Squat Jumps (or Bodyweight Squats for beginners)
10 repetitions followed by 10 second rest x 4 rounds.
4B) Calf Jumps (or Calf Raises for beginners)
10 repetitions followed by 10 second rest x 4 rounds.
4C) Stability Ball Jackknife – You could use the Power Wheel instead of the Stability Ball if you have one of these…I just ordered one the other week from Lifeline USA.
10 repetitions followed by 10 second rest x 4 rounds.
4D) Turkish Getup – DO IT! So many folks complain about this exercise…but it should be on your list of moves to do more often.
5 reps per side followed by 10 second rest x 2 rounds.
Tuesday
Get 30 minutes of fun activity – now grab a Green Tea and do this week’s research review.
Reference:
Appetite. Volume 54, Issue 2, April 2010, Pages 282-288. Catherine M. Murtya, Jane K. Pittaway
In this study, 42 subjects followed their regular diet for 4 weeks, then switched to 12 weeks on a chickpea supplemented diet (104 grams per day), and then switched back to their regular diet for 4 weeks.
- Food intake was lower during the chickpea supplemented phase, particularly foods of the Cereal food group (P = 0.01).
- Participants tended to eat more processed snack foods (high energy, low fiber) after ceasing chickpea consumption (P = 0.09), a trend supported by focus group discussion.
- Perceived “fullness” increased while participants consumed chickpeas and perceived bowel function improved.
Health benefits, increases in dietary variety and satiation with legume consumption were the main perceived benefits, while inconvenience and gastrointestinal upset discouraged legume consumption.
SOLUTION:
Start slowly. Increase your fiber & chickpea intake little by little. Practice. Find more chickpea recipes. Make eating more fiber a habit.
Wednesday
If you want abs of steel and a rock hard body, then you have come to the right place. TT AAA Abs is loaded full of fun ab exercises. Again, a highly under-rated workout program.
1A) DB 1-Arm Squat & Press – 8 reps per side (2-0-1) – You could use a KB snatch instead.
1B) Pull-up + Knee-up – 8 reps (2-0-1) OR DB Row – 20 reps per side (2-0-1) – Try using the rings if possible.
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.
2A) Front Loaded Bulgarian Split Squat – 8 reps per side (2-0-1) – Try using the 1&1/2 reps method.
2B) Stability Ball Plank Rollout – 10 reps (1-0-1) – Try this using the power wheel instead.
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.
3A) 1-Leg Stability Ball Leg Curl – 8 reps per side (1-0-1) – Another exercise you could try with the power wheel.
3B) Side Plank + DB Lateral Raise – 10 reps per side (2-0-1)
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.
4A) Burpee Chinup Combo – 10 reps (1-0-1)
4B) Jump Rope or Jumping Jacks or Run in Place – 20 seconds – Do hill sprints instead, if possible.
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.
Thursday
Do 30 minutes of fun activity…
The truth about emotional eating…
Reference:
Obesity 2009 Aug 20. Mediators of Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance in Middle-aged Women. Teixeira PJ, Silva MN, Coutinho SR, Palmeira AL, Mata J, Vieira PN, Carraça EV, Santos TC, Sardinha LB.
From Portugal, researchers studied the behavior patterns of women who were able to lose weight and keep it off over 2 years.
225 Overweight and obese women were randomly assigned to a control or a 1-year group weight loss program.
The weight loss group lost -7.3% bodyweight after 1 year and kept off 5.5% over 2 years.
Predictors of success over 2 years were:
- Flexible cognitive restraint
- Disinhibition
- Exercise self-efficacy
- Intrinsic motivation
- Body dissatisfaction
Predictors of success in the 1-year weight loss study included lower emotional eating.
The researchers concluded that lowering emotional eating and adopting a flexible dietary restraint pattern are critical for sustained weight loss.
For long-term success, interventions must also be effective in promoting intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy.
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I’ve said quite a few times that internal motivation is a key to your success, and this study proves it. So YOU must find YOUR reason and your OWN motivation to change. You can’t depend on someone else to motivate you.
Friday
Fun circuit to end the week…
KB Swing – 20 reps (1-0-1) – Try KB snatches instead
X-tended Pushup – 10 reps (2-0-1) – Spiderman pushups could be used
Stability Ball Back Extension – 10 reps (2-0-1) – Glute ham raises could be done if you have access to equipment
Stability Ball Pike – 8 reps (2-0-1) – Try the Power Wheel for this one!
KB 1-Arm Swing – 10 reps per side (1-0-1)
Pushup – 20 reps (2-0-1) – Use decline pushups or close-grip 3/4 rep pushups
Stability Ball Leg Curl – 20 reps (1-0-1) – Another exercise for the Power Wheel
Ab Wheel – 8 reps (2-0-1) – The Power Wheel can also be used here
Sprint or Burpee – 20 seconds or 8 reps
Rest 1 minute & repeat 2-3 more times.
Social Support Saturday!
30 minutes of fun activity…and just remember this quote when it comes to how you interact with your social network:
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou
Sunday – Plan, Shop & Prepare
30 minutes activity and plan, shop, & prepare. And should you add “Cheerios” to your grocery cart?
Well, I was flipping through a Woman’s World magazine the other week because the cover promised outrageous weight loss from eating cereal. Turns out the article was based on this study…
Reference:
J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Feb;110(2):205-14. Whole-grain ready-to-eat oat cereal, as part of a dietary program for weight loss, reduces low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in adults with overweight and obesity more than a dietary program including low-fiber control foods. Maki KC, Beiseigel JM, Jonnalagadda SS, Gugger CK, Reeves MS, Farmer MV, Kaden VN, Rains TM.
Researchers studied204 overweight and obese adults. One group was given 2 servings per day of cheerios (containing 3 g/day oat b-glucan) while the other group ate energy-matched low-fiber foods.
Both groups were on a 500 kcal/day energy deficit diet and they were given advice on avoiding bad foods.
Cheerios resulted in:
- Greater LDL cholesterol level reductions (-8.7 vs -4.3%, P=0.005).
- Greater total cholesterol reductions (-5.4 vs -2.9%, P=0.038)
- Greater decreases in waist circumference (-3.3 vs -1.9 cm, P=0.012)
So cheerios might help you lose an inch from your waist if you are overweight or obese. I know it’s hard to believe this study with all that “anti-grain” information out there, but its tough to argue with this study.
Next week!
TT Workout – TT Buff Dudes & Hot Chicks Update
Research Review – Fat Burning Secret for Older Adults
Truth about eating fish