There’s more to “working your core” than abdominal crunches. We explore the deeper meaning, seeking to find the core of our workout routines — what we need to achieve our goals. We discuss the lesser-known core muscle groups, including the obliques and glutes. We talk about avoiding absolutes to see best results. And we think about what foods work best for what situations, considering nutrition, ease of preparation, and ease of digestion. Remember: You can call in your own questions at 214-296-9229. We’d love to hear from you!
Cool! I’mma gonna check this out after lunch!
PS on a related note; I modified a routine where I’m doing Bicep curls with one arm carry weights, and my other arm is folded behind my back with an equal weight so as to stabilise and support my back. Correct posture and correct form is everything.
Does Mitch approve?
Holding the weight behind your back to help improve your posture is good. As you get stronger you can progress the exercise by taking the weight out of the hand behind your back, then your core muscles will have to work more to keep your posture correct.
Thanks Mitch! You’re awesome!
Between listening to this installment at work (and tossing distracting people from the office as I did), and Chuck’s comments during Eff This Week last night, I have to admit that the core, or more precisely that last bit of belly fat hanging from it, is my bane. I’m so pleased with everything I’ve accomplished in terms of weight loss and control, toning, adding mass where I wanted it, and tightening other areas (lower back, pecs, etc.), that I will probably say I’m in the best shape of my life, and that includes the H.S. football years (San Dimas High School football RULES!).
But that last pouch? Arrrrgh. It’s maddening. And while i know targeting does nothing, I already have a pretty well managed nutritional structure, and a whole-body workout that I change every 6-8 weeks…trading on and off with cardio (as I know too much causes muscle loss)…it’s just such a frustration point to get that last area shed. Maybe at this point, it’s just a matter of invested time, and exercising patience (heh) to let it come off gradually, but I almost feel as though I’ve plateaued, and can’t get this last concentration of body fat to getthehelloff.
:::groan::: I may have to alter my HIIT days for a longer post-run burn, maybe…
Thank you for taking the calls! Great info!
Unicorns!
Keir, First off I would like to say great job and congrats on your accomplishments.
Two things I would recommend would be to 1) get a caliper measurment, if you lose 1-2 mm it is not really visibly noticable but at least you know you are heading in the right direction. And 2) on your cardio days have you tried using different machines for 15 min apiece? Jump on the elliptical for 15, then switch to row / treadmill / stairmaster / etc… (the etc machine is rare and don’t see it in many gyms :p). Do not always do the same order and you might find you are getting an increased caloric burn.
Well, that leads back to a current discussion trend I see growing, that in the pursuit of maintaining weight, and trading fat-pounds for muscle-pounds, that too much cardio can deteriorate the very muscle one works (on weight-training days) to gain. If I randomly crank 45-60 minutes of assorted cardio, be it steady or HIIT, is that argument valid? Maybe this is an episode topic in the works…
That is always a big question; “How much cardio should I do?”. And I agree we can probably do a full podcast on different types of cardio and how to make it work for specific goals. The short answer is, yes it is valid if it is working for you. And anytime you are doing cardio you are going to burn some muscle, but you can minimize the muscle loss by remaining between 65% - 80% of your max heart rate (Max HR = 220-your age).
HIIT training is a bit different in that you want to spike your heart rate above the 80% mark, but only for a short period of time, which minimizes the amount of muscle burned. If you enjoy your HIIT training you should try doing the Tabata method, basicly it is 4 min long, 20 sec of high intensity / 10 sec of rest done 8 times. When done properly it will show significant increases in cardiovascular endurance and it is a great way to burn fat. Tabata training can be applied to any workout, but is extremely intense and caution should be taken before attempting. If you would like to add it to your cardio routine, I recommend beginning on the bike. It is the most forgiving if you cannot make it through, the treadmill WILL launch you into a wall if you stumble doing this :eek: I am including a link that explains this method in more detail http://tabatatraining.org/
And one of the best ways to test if it is working or not is to have your caliper measurments done, small changes in caliper measurments will let you know in fairly short order if what you are doing is working. I recommend having them done no more often then once every two weeks, more often and the changes are not very apparent. And it may seem like I keep recommending having measurments done, but as a trainer (and data geek), I find it very helpful.
Hope this helps
Any links for calliper measurements?
If you are a member of a gym you can often times get them done at no charge by the trainers. They may do a 3 point, 4 point or 7 point measurment. I use the 4 point, but have done the 3 and 7, and the results are all very similar.