“I would like to share your core strength video with my patients….many of whom would be quite challenged simply by 15 seconds in plank. Do you have any standing core exercises to recommend?”

I filmed a quick response for Dr. Goodman this morning.

Beginner Core Strengthening Exercises


Every exercise and movement is made up of individual components. You can always make an exercise easier or more challenging by making very minor changes. Isometric planks are an obvious example of how easy it is to adjust the difficulty level.

The beginner level FlowFit exercises that I demonstrated are all very basic variations of exercises that become more sophisticated in the FlowFit program. With each of the four levels, the exercise sophisticates and becomes more challenging. (Here is an example of some level 3 and 4 exercises from the FlowFit program, click here for video).

Ultimately, we all want to perform sophisticated movements with strength and finesse. And the good news is that you can, one step at a time as you deepen your daily personal practice. Each exercise is built from an easier, simpler version, and if we practice the basics diligently our movement will naturally adapt with each and every practice session. There will come a point when you can pick up new skills rapidly, and apply them with strength, finesse, and ease.

The FlowFit program is an excellent all-in-one exercise DVD. I highly recommend it!

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional and Strength Coach

Regular crunches have a few qualities that I don’t like…

1) they create residual muscle tension, instead of relaxing the body
2) they increase your blood pressure needlessly
3) they are only comprised of a very shallow range of motion
4) they only focus on one degree of movement freedom – moving forward
5) they don’t include antagonist muscles (the lower back)

The sophisticated ab crunches I will be teaching you eliminate all of the above concerns, and they teach you to integrate your breathing, structure, and movement. These exercises are far superior to the traditional ab crunch and reverse crunch.

Core Strengthening Exercises – Sophisticated Crunches


The key with these more sophisticated ab crunches is the breathing component. You want to REALLY emphasize the exhalation when the lungs are being compressed, teaching your body to Be Breathed by your movement.

Your Question of the Day is: now that we know the outcome of the presidential election, how will you move forward?

To your health and success,

P.S. If you want a detailed look at how to perform these sophisticated crunches, as well as a lot more variations, check out Scott Sonnon’s Be Breathed DVD program.

How to get 6-Pack Abs: Q+A with John Sifferman


Your Question of the Day is: What other things do you consider hallmarks of strength and health in a physique?

To your health and success,

P.S. Please post your comments by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom.

Today’s core strengthening exercise video is all about training rotational movements. The first thing that may come to mind is the oblique and the serratus anterior muscles (the little finger-like muscles on the sides of your ribs) – but practicing rotation involves a host of muscle groups. Each exercise I teach in this video is full-body in nature, and that’s how I recommend you approach core strengthening exercises. Train all of the body, all the time.

Here is a video with three different core strengthening exercises.

Rotational Core Strengthening Exercises by John Sifferman


Tips:
You’ll want to go easy with the spinal rotation exercises at first, especially if you exercise in the morning (while your spinal column is still releasing fluids stored during sleep). Don’t try to force extra rotation of the spine, and only allow your body to go into ranges of motion that will not risk injury. Use your intuition and know your limits. Think of these exercises not only as core strengtheners, but also as a means of improving your mobility and relieving residual muscle tension.

Your Question of the Day is: What have you done this week to ensure you stay on track with your training goals?

To your health and success,

P.S. Stay tuned for the next core strengthening exercises video article where I discuss a better alternative to abdominal crunches.

P.P.S. You can learn some of these exercises in more depth from Scott Sonnon’s FlowFit DVD program.

I hope that each core strengthening exercise video teaches you some new ideas.  Most importantly, I want you to apply what you learn and practice it so you can have the core strength of a champion.  I’ll bet that if you apply the techniques that I am about to reveal to you, you will have a stronger core and better looking abs.  You may need to drop some bodyfat to see them, but that’s another topic for another blog post.

Core Strengthening Exercises – Planks by John Sifferman

A few things to keep in mind about core strengthening exercises are:

• the body is one piece that can perform an infinite array of movement tasks – thinking about the  exercises in the video as “working abs” is narrow-minded – there’s a very intricate myofascia that co-contracts to produce “core strength.”
• I want great abs just like everyone else, but I KNOW that the key to having healthy, great abs is to integrate your core training into the rest of your program – training ALL of the body ALL the time.
• Isolating muscles (via ab exercises, for instance) is for two classes of people: 1) competitive bodybuilders that are actually signed up for an event and WILL actually appear on stage in nothing but a speedo.  Don’t tell me your bodybuilding unless this is you! 2) Gym trainees that vainly desire for a sculpted, strong and healthy body, but will never have it.  Don’t let this be you!
• The core muscles are not just the abs and obliques – core strength is full bodily in nature and non-specifically ranges from glute contraction, abdominal contraction, spinal stability, and shoulder stability.  One of the jobs of the core is to store and transfer force from the legs into the upper body, and vice versa.
• The best way to learn more about core strengthening exercises is to educate yourself from the standpoint that every activity (whether fitness, athletic, or even sedentary) is comprised of three factors: breathing, movement, and structure.  If you teach yourself how to integrate all three of these factors into each core strengthening exercise you will find that your progress skyrockets and your core strength becomes unstoppable.  For instance, learning to exhale on contraction during each movement will supercharge your ability to activate your core muscles.

Your Question of the Day is: What barriers have you faced in life that have prevented you from having the body of your dreams?

To your health and success,

P.S. Stay tuned for the next video tutorial in the Core Strengthening Exercises series – where we discuss core rotation exercises.

Here at Real World Strength, we have a health-first perspective on fitness and athleticism.  We know that strength is a skill that anyone can develop with practice, and reap the benefits of a stronger, leaner physique – and ultimately what we’re all after, better health and quality of life.

Please enjoy this short video:

Welcome, and please enjoy your stay!

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT