The Physique 57 Solution (36 page)

ABS

F
OR MANY WOMEN, A TAUT, FLAT BELLY IS THE ULTIMATE
fitness goal—and it’s also one of the hardest to achieve. Contrary to what some diet plans and workouts will tell you, you CAN’T spot-reduce for belly fat. The only way to dramatically shrink or slim down a particular area of the body is to tone the underlying muscles—and in the case of the abs, that means the entire abdominal wall. Your abdominal wall is made up of four distinct muscle groups: the rectus abdominis (what we often call the six-pack); the transversus abdominis, which is the area below the navel; and the internal and external obliques, which lie along the sides of your torso and give shape to your waistline. When sculpted and strong, these muscles work together like a natural corset to pull in your belly and give you a defined, hourglass shape. So if you want to cinch your middle and make that spare tire disappear, you need to strategically target all four sets of muscles—something that traditional sit-ups and crunches fail to do.

Our one-of-a-kind Ab series consists of three different sets of moves done in three different positions: Flat Back, Round Back, and Curl. Together these exercises are able to tighten all four areas of the abdominal wall with equal vigor and precision, and ensure that you activate even hard-to-target areas like the lowermost fibers of the transversus abdominis, or the innermost layers of the obliques. The three sets are differentiated by the degree of spinal flexion: In the first Ab section,
we only lift the head and shoulders very slightly to focus on tightening and tucking the area below your navel; in the second, we raise the shoulders up farther to increase the contraction in the abs and involve the muscles of the upper back as well; and in the third, we get the spine moving in all directions—lateral, flexion, and extension—for the deepest contraction yet and to add a burst of cardio for a strong, calorie-burning finish. By changing the position of the spine throughout the three sections, we not only enable you to work the same muscles again and again from different angles, but also protect your neck from the strain that often accompanies ab work. Doing a hundred crunches in a row can tax the neck, especially if the abs are weak—but in our series, we change up the moves every eight to sixteen reps and change the position of the spine every four minutes, ensuring that even as you target your abs with great intensity, you protect yourself from stress and injury.

Throughout these exercises, we will often direct you to lower your legs to your “point of control.” Your point of control is the place where your abdominal wall is challenged, and yet you are still able to perform the choreography while maintaining a neutral spine. In neutral spine, there is no excessive arching or tucking, and no excessive tension. If your back starts to arch up off the floor, you’ve lowered your legs too far. We like working at the point of control because it’s the place where you most effectively engage your abdominals: You’re achieving the maximum contraction possible without sacrificing form. The two-to three-inch-thick cushion or towel that we use during our Curl section is also intended to help you maintain a neutral spine by supporting the natural curve of your lower back—yet another way that we make sure our abdominal work is always healthy and respectful of your body.

Best of all, you’ll find that many of the moves in this chapter will tone far more than just your abs: Our Leg Press move, for example, gives you six-pack abs AND slimmer inner thighs by incorporating the playground ball. We use the playground ball throughout our ab work—sometimes squeezing it between the thighs, sometimes holding it in the hands—to add another layer of isometrics and increase the intensity on the abs. You will also spot several variations that incorporate one of our all-time favorite moves, the Can-Can. We love the Can-Can because its rapid-fire movements are one of the fastest ways to generate heat in the body, rev up
your caloric burn, and bring you closer to Interval Overload. These dance-type exercises will really get your endorphins going while drawing all the core muscles together and cinching and sculpting them into one long sheath of muscle. Strengthening your core not only does wonders for your waistline, but also helps you stand taller for an overall slimmer look—perfect for when you want to wear that formfitting, sexy dress.

You may notice that our Ab series is the one section of the workout
not
immediately followed by accompanying stretches. This is because we hold back the stretches for the abs until we’ve finished working the other side of your core: the middle and lower back. So we hit all the muscles of the frontal abdominal wall, then flip over and target the other side with our Back series before stretching the entire core during the Cool Down. In this way, we keep as much heat in your core as possible and ensure that you keep the caloric burn going, rather than releasing the heat and losing momentum as a result.

So let’s fire it up! It’s time to put on some music and get ready to watch those love handles disappear. This is a meltdown for your waistline! You’re going to melt the fat away!

You can use these moves to supplement your workouts or to tighten up your abs whenever you have a few minutes.

Lady Frog: 1 minute (
here
)

Showgirl: 1 minute (
here
)

Better than any tummy tuck, this sequence of exercises is a fun and highly effective way to target that kangaroo pouch and flatten out your middle. You can literally feel yourself getting tighter with every rep, and as a bonus it stretches your lower back muscles to keep your spine limber and alleviate back pain. Remember that when you’re directed to lower your legs, take them just to your point of control—not too low! You want to feel everything in the front of your body contracting toward your spine, NOT feel your spine pulling up off the floor.

Lie on the floor with your legs bent, your feet flat on the floor about hip-width apart, your arms resting at your sides. Engage your abdominal wall and keep a neutral spine. This is your starting position.

A. Bull’s-Eye

Raise your legs and bring them up over your hips. Bend your knees slightly and point your toes.

Gently lift and lower your hips off the floor. This movement targets the area you
don’t
want to call a pouch underneath the navel.

Do your best to keep the movement strictly vertical—try not to swing your feet forward and back, or side-to-side. Hit your mark on the ceiling like a bull’s-eye!