these are "soft" weighted fitness balls

Some recent research shows that crunches, the old standby for ab exercises, only targets 3 of the abdominal muscles. Yet there are muscles that surround the entire core, acting as a girdle to support your spine, increase power and speed, improve stability, and oh yes, give you that six-pack look.

Six-pack abs aside, you need a strong core…

A strong core is your center of power. Powerhouse. Like a rocket ready to take off on a moments notice. Okay, you get the idea. When your core is weak, or shall we say, not as strong as it could be, then your back is not supported as well. Think of all the daily activities you do that require reaching, bending, twisting, turning, and so on. Every time you do that ‘stuff’ you’re asking a lot of your back, and while it is designed to do all of those things, without a strong core acting as a girdle around it, one day that little twist to reach for something could send you right to the couch for two days. Or worse.

But wait, there is more. If you are an athlete or participate in regular physical activity, a strong core is your secret weapon. It helps propel you forward (really fast, if you want, and with POWER), can help you change directions on a dime (without losing your balance), and can take minutes off your personal best if you are a runner. Golfers…a strong core will improve your swing, and help reduce the risk of repetitive stress injuries. Sports requiring jumping, like basketball and volleyball, require explosive power. Yeah, the legs deliver a good bit, but the core – a strong one will make it SO much easier. Have I convinced of the merits of having a strong core? I could go on…but I won’t. I’ll save it for another post, but take away this much: include core work in your exercise routine a minimum of three times per week. And one exercise alone won’t do it – you need to work the front, back and sides, ideally from different planes, to get the best bang for your buck. More on this multi-directional stuff later. ;0)

Here are 2 moves to try, neither of which requires a single crunch!

1-LEGGED REVERSE CHOP

Ideally, use a medicine ball (4-6lbs should do) or a Duraball (a soft, smaller weighted ball). If you have neither, a dumbbell will do.

Begin by standing on one leg. Make sure hips are level. You can check this by raising and lowering the hip of the raised leg until both knees are level and hip points are facing forward.

Next, hold the weighted ball, or dumbbell, in both hands at about hip height. At a speed that is appropriate for your level of fitness and experience with this exercise, raise the ball diagonally from the hip, upward across the body, ending above the ear of the SAME side as the leg you are standing on.

The abdominals should be drawn in (this is what I call, “zipping it up,”) toward the spine, and pelvic floor contracted throughout the move.

Return to starting position without lowering the raised leg and repeat 10-12 times before switching sides, or direction of the ball.

For added challenge, you could take the ball in the opposite direction of the raised leg, increase the speed of the ball, add a bit of rotation, or stand on a BOSU or balance cushion. You can get creative as your balance and core strength improves.

To progress this exercise, you can use a heavier ball, add more repetitions, add an additional set or two, or again, begin using an unstable surface as I mentioned above.

MEDICINE BALL PLANK

This is a fun one too. I use the word “fun” when I really mean, “challenging.” ;0)

Using any hard medicine ball (weight of ball isn’t important for this exercise, and a softer med ball probably won’t large enough), place the ball near your feet.

Then, assume the standard elbow plank position: up on the toes, elbows stacked under shoulders, forearms on the floor, neck neutral (this is important!), and abdominals pulled in tight.

Next, hoist your toes up onto the medicine ball. The nature of the ball is, of course, to move, so it is your job to KEEP IT STILL. This is the “fun” part.

For starters, hold for 10-15 seconds, gradually building up to 30, 45, and 60 seconds. Eventually, you may be able to pass the ball back and forth between your feet, add Pilates push-ups, and more “fun” stuff.

I love them! Resistance tubes are sometimes thought of as “not real equipment,” or too simple to really be effective, but the truth is, tubing is awesome. And since this happened to be the subject of my morning radio chat (airing every Friday morning on WIMA-AM Lima), I thought I’d share with you, my readers, what I raved about to my listeners.

Resistance tubes are terrific. They are inexpensive, portable, easy to use, and relatively cheap to replace. And can you think of any other piece of equipment (besides the TRX) that can give you a total body workout? They are the ideal choice for home use, travel, or as part of your gym routine. (Cheap and easy: 5 low-cost items every home gym needs)

Any exercise you do with a fixed machine, free weights, or a cable system can be duplicated using resistance tubing. Throw in a stability ball or weight bench, and you have all you need to get a great, total body workout.

In general, a tube’s color gives some indication of how much resistance it provides. For example:

Yellow – very easy
Green – easy
Blue – somewhat difficult
Red – difficult
Grey – very difficult
Black – NFL football players use these ;0)

If you haven’t used resistance tubing, a great book to have on hand is “The Great Stretch Tubing Handbook” – chock full of pictures and detailed descriptions of nearly any exercise you can think of. Available at Amazon.

If you haven’t used resistance tubing before, begin by replacing one or two of your strength training exercises with a tubing exercise. For example, bicep curls using dumbbells can easily be switched to bicep curls using a resistance tube. Simply place the tube under your feet (make sure you wear athletic shoes), grasp the handles in each hand, keep elbows tucked in close to the body, and using the tube as resistance, do 10-12 bicep curls.

Start with single joint exercises before progressing to more complicated, multiple joint exercises or combination exercise.

For example:

Tricep extensions and bicep curls before learning overhead presses; Hip extensions before squats; Flyes before ax chops, etc.

It is also best to learn with a lower resistance tube, such as yellow, green, or blue, before progressing to higher resistance tubes.

The same rule of thumb for increasing resistance applies to tubing: if the 10th or 12th repetition is easy, it is time to either add more repetitions, or increase the resistance. If you can’t complete at least 6 reps with good form, the resistance is too much – switch to a more elastic tube.

Until about four years ago, I thought Yoga was a waste of time. My Type-A, monkey brain couldn’t handle the slow pace of poses held, well, forever. Then I discovered “power yoga,” and my mind was forever changed, along with my body. Turns out, when you run, and run, and run, the range of motion in your joints becomes limited. Thanks to yoga – specifically, downward facing dog, also known as Adho Mukha Svanasana – I can still run, and run, and run. According to my yoga instructor, Loretta, I have better range of motion than most runners (insert smiley face). Thanks Yoga!

The benefits of Downward facing dog

Provides a good stretch to the upper body, especially the shoulder complex and upper back, as well as the hamstrings and calves. Done correctly, you’ll also notice a nice stretch from your palms to your fingertips, as well as the heel of the foot to the toes.

Experts say this pose improves digestion, helps slow down the central nervous system (thus, reducing stress), and is supposed to help relieve headaches and lower back pain.


The pose

You can begin Downward Dog on your hands and knees, or from a standing position, or following Chaturanga and Cobra poses.

Begin with feet hip-width a apart and place hands on the floor slightly in front of the shoulders.

Exhale, lift your hips, and push your hamstrings away from the floor. Keeping your spine long, lift your tush toward the ceiling, gently nudge your heels toward the floor (it is okay to have a slight bend in the knee if you need to), making sure you can not see your heels (they should be aligned directly under your ankle bone.

Press through the base of your fingers and keep fingers spread out. Keep shoulders wide with shoulder blades down and back (as if you’re pushing them toward your tailbone). Your head should be between your arms.

Experts recommend holding this pose 1-3 minutes, however if done in a sequence (think Power Yoga), you may only hold it for 5-10 seconds.

(Note: if you suffer from carpel tunnel syndrome or have wrist problems, you should not do this pose. Also, if you are pregnant, do not do this pose past your 2nd term. High blood pressure sufferers, consult your physician before beginning a yoga practice. As always, let your instructor know if you have a health conduction.)