Tip of the day…
Take it easy with all the crunching and abdominal exercises.
Having clear cut abs is great. Most train their abs with intentions of showing them off the next time they are at the beach but direct abdominal training or isolating the abs while training is not best. We must also view the abdomen for what they actually are. Abdomen are only part of the core. Being only a part of the core they should never be trained in isolation. Or, I should say that training them in isolation is less functional for the body and can even become harmful. Exercises that train the muscles of the pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen in conjuction are best. All these muscles must work in harmoney for peak performance. (Strength Conditioning Journal, 32 (5): 69-74, 2010)
Such as.. Front squats, What else?
Also – you didn’t want to give me props for posing for that photo?
1. thanks for modeling. 2.squats are def one to help build the core, standing military presses, bent over rows, deadlifts (basic compound movements where the entire body is used) and I’m not stating that ab work is bad but exercises like hang leg raises, planks, jack-knifes, pikes are better because the incorporate the whole core and don’t put the spine in a compromised position. If you include (which I know you do) the exercises I listed, basic compound movements, there isn’t really a need for direct core training. And remember we all have abs, it’s about the fat that is over them. Seeing or not seeing abs is dependent of the level of fat you have on the stomach.