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Six Pack Abs Success Formula - Miss This And You Might Blow Your Whole Program

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by Dr. Kareem F. Samhouri
Physical Therapist & Fitness Professional
http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/abstrengthguide.html 

Building six pack abs takes strategy.  There are many conflicting opinions about the best method to six pack abs, but one thing that all top fitness professionals recognize is that it’s not about ab machines, ab devices, or ab exercises.  For any of you who have followed Mike Geary for any length of time, he’s someone who preaches about this on a regular basis.  Per Geary, the truth about six pack abs is that you need to exercise your entire body and stop wasting time with spot reduction, extreme dieting, and temporary fitness fads.  I agree with Mike Geary.

But let’s take things one step further... what area of your body should you work the hardest in the beginning of your voyage to six pack abs?

The answer is easy:  your legs through core-based exercise.

By strengthening your legs and trunk, you are providing a foundation for all future movements to the rest of your body.  It’s most important to focus on trunk strengthening, in order to stabilize your spine during any other exercise.  That said, most of the best trunk strengthening exercises involve your legs.  Here is a brief list of great trunk strengthening exercises that will lead to increased spinal stability, stronger abs, and a better body:

•  Barbell Squat

•  Dumbbell Bent Leg Deadlift

•  Clean & Press (a bit more risk, but a lot more reward)

•  Squat, C.url & Triple Press (medicine ball or dumbbells)

•  Spider Plank on Ball

As you can see, 4 of the 5 exercises listed above are lower body dominant exercises.  However, they are also the exact same exercises that ‘load the spine,’ meaning they place more weight directly through your spine, and thereby cause your low back and abdominal muscles to contract and stabilize the increased force or demand being placed upon them.  This means that your abs are working, but you’re also performing compound movements that will raise many local metabolisms in many joints.

The effect:  Raising local metabolic activity at each joint yields a higher global (or overall) metabolism.  Therefore, you’ll be able to eat more and lose weight.

In example 5, ‘Spider Plank on Ball,’ we chose a trunk or core-based exercise on an unstable surface.  The unstable surface and dynamic movement naturally create a stimulus to all of your ‘stabilizing muscles,’ including:

•• Transversus Abdominus

••  External Oblique

•  Internal Oblique

• Iliopsoas

•• Quadratus Lumborum

•  Multifidus

•  Pelvic Floor Musculature

•  Gluteals

••  Hip Internal & External Rotators

• 

Clearly, when it comes to building a stable base for future exercise, these are the key muscles for success.  Many of these are muscles that are very often missed in workout programs.  By targeting the muscles listed above, you are not only preventing injury, but you are also creating a strong body and a higher exercise tolerance.  Muscle balancing always leads to improved exercise tolerance, meaning more work gets done every time you work out. 

Build a strong foundation for movement by choosing lower body, trunk-based exercises and you will reap the benefit.  Your abs will be screaming, but you’ll drop body fat faster than you ever thought possible.  Remember, when training for six pack abs, it’s important to have a strategy for success.  As a doctor of physical therapy and fitness professional, I can’t help but want to strengthen joints while burning fat in order to create a potential for long-term fat loss success. 

If you’d like to learn to dominate your workout program and get six pack abs as fast as possible, I’m currently offering a free trial of Ab Strength Guide.  You are more than welcome to give it a try and keep all of the bonuses, either way.  Feel free to shoot me an email or post on the blog if you have any questions...

About the Author: Dr. Kareem Samhouri is the president and owner of Global Fitness LLC. Through his company people are able to realize complete wellness, as they serve nutrition, massage, physical therapy, and personal training. Dr. K is a graduate of the University of Miami Doctor of Physical Therapy program and has earned a bachelor’s of science from the Pennsylvania State University in Kinesiology. Additionally, Dr. K is a licensed physical therapist and holds a Health and Fitness Instructor certification from the internationally recognized American College of Sports Medicine.

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover