For the past 25 or so years I have been trying to find the perfect exercise selection to get my body to 100% performance capable. I have redesigned my workout over the past several years trying to use a minimalist approach to fitness. Use what works and discard the garbage I have learned from fitness mags over the years. The only way in my opinion to decrease girth on the waistline and bring out the legendary abs of the likes of such individuals as Bruce Lee or Jackie Warner is to just simply, EAT CLEAN and get your bodyfat below 8% for men and 15% for females. As an experiment I did just that for the 4 weeks before my marriage. I simply just cut out all sugar and processed starches without eating anything from a box or bag. I adjusted my calories and ratios of Protein, Carbs, and Good Fats and like magic, the abs come thru (please see pic above). No back breaking sit ups or crazy no carb diets for me. What? No crunches or leg raises? ABSOLUTELY NONE! Actually I can't remember the last time that I did crunches or a complete ab workout. I only work my core the way that Dr. Stuart McGill PhD says to. If you read his research based work from his text, Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance, you will see what I am referring to. I will not recite his work, as I feel that his expertise is unquestionable and should be read and interpreted by the reader. I can however tell you that as a Chiropractic Physician, his knowlegde and experience far exceedes mine, and I take everything he says as, 'fact'! I don't have a million dollar lab to test results of his work, but I do have my patients' and clients' testomonials, all of which have been nothing short of positively benificial. If you insist on doing as my client has, multiple sets of high volume crunches, I will see you in my office one day with your low back complaint. In short, ligaments that surround your spine act similar to a wire coat hanger. If you repeatedly bend it back and forth, it will break. So keep bending your spine, especially in your lower back, over and over, without enough rest and recovery, and you will cause micro tears in the ligaments that protect your spine and vertebral discs. Compounded over several weeks to months and this will weaken the area, leaving you subseptible to herniations and sprains. Forget the old myths of doing more ab work to strengthen the back. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! Use a pilates method or talk to your back doctor about a spinal strengthening routine. If your doctor instructs you to do situps or leg raises, please inform them that you now know better and refer them to Dr. McGill's work found on a link in my blog. You have now been warned! You're welcome! If you want to know more about how to stregthen your core, contact me at my email BodyCorex@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading and good luck with your personal quest to find physical balance!
