Sore ABs 2

So here we go, 5 exercises that have given me sore abs in the last

3 weeks...

#1 - Stability Ball Plank

As I mentioned yesterday, it's 30 percent harder than a regular

plank, but last Friday I used it in a weird way that left my abs

sore all weekend.

I did a "3 minute stability ball plank challenge". I set a timer for

3 minutes and got in position. As soon as I started feeling fatigue,

I stopped, rested for 15 seconds, and then got back in position.

I alternated between the Ball Plank and short rests for a full 3

minutes...and tallied up the amount of time I spent in the Ball

Plank - and next week I'll try to beat that time. That challenge is

a great way to make the exercise harder and for the time to fly by.

#2 - Stability Ball Rollout

This is one of my 3 favorite ab exercises, and to make it harder and

for more ab soreness, the key is to do a sloooooow "roll out". That

will put your abs under a loaded stretch - which causes soreness.

Now of course, you MUST train smart and conservatively...but if you

are advanced, you can really extend this to about 5 seconds.

If you are an intermediate, don't roll too far out, but take it

really, really, really slow. You'll get similar benefits.

#3 - L-Chinup

Okay, this one is super advanced, but for all of my bodyweight

compadres out there, dig this:

You're basically going to do a chin-up while holding the top position

of a hanging leg raise. Do all your reps like this. At first it will

be really tough, but your reps will increase big time after a couple

of sessions.

#4 - Regular Plank done to failure AFTER a hard upper body workout

I know what you're thinking...how could a regular plank make your

abs sore?

Well, there's a little trick to this one...and that is to do the

plank at the end of a really tough upper body workout when your arms

are pumped and fatigued.

Why? Because it will force your abs to work extra hard, because it

takes away a lot of the support that your arms give to a regular

plank. So tack a regular plank on to the end of a biceps/triceps

superset, and your abs will be pleasantly surprised.

And remember what I said yesterday about needing to be able to do

the plank for 2 minutes straight. So go for as long as you can with

good form, rest 30-60 seconds, and repeat.

#5 - Strict Hanging Leg Raise and Leg Pike

Most folks are familiar with the hanging leg raise. You might even

have tried it yourself. But you won't get maximum results from this

exercise unless you do it with strict form.

That simply means removing as much momentum from the exercise as

possible - basically, don't SWING your body and your legs. Instead,

brace your abs as hard as possible, start from a "dead hang" position

and raise your legs with muscular control - not momentum.

And what's the ab pike? Well, it's an advanced leg raise. In the

pike, you'll continue the movement to take your feet all the way to

where your hands are holding the bar. Super advanced.