Diesel Crew - Muscle Building, Athletic Development, Strength Training, Grip Strength

Strength and Conditioning for Elite Athletic Performance - Free Articles, Videos for Coaches, Fitness Professionals, Personal Trainers, Athletic Trainers, Physical Therapists for All Sports

As Seen On
  • Home
  • Media
    • Video
    • Articles
    • Galleries
    • Interviews
    • GS Radio
    • Contact
  • Products
    • eBooks
    • Manuals
    • DVDs
    • Services
  • Team Diesel
    • Napalm’s Blog
    • Smiitty’s Blog
    • Spray Series
    • Testmonials
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Contact
  • Forum
  • Home
  • Media
    • Video
    • Articles
    • Galleries
    • Interviews
    • GS Radio
    • Contact
  • Products
    • eBooks
    • Manuals
    • DVDs
    • Services
  • Team Diesel
    • Napalm’s Blog
    • Smiitty’s Blog
    • Spray Series
    • Testmonials
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Contact
  • Forum

Posts Tagged ‘abdominal training’

Powering Up Your Plank – Guest Blog Post

Monday, October 18th, 2010

Powering up your Plank

By: Chris Kelly

“Plank routines are dull, unsexy, and I don’t feel the burn” is the gist of the response I typically receive from most clients when explaining my approach to core training—and I can understand their frustration.

After all, when it comes time to train there are few things as boring as holding still when you could be going to war with sit ups and crunches.

But after hundreds of hours working toward a better stomach, I have either prescribed or witnessed every crunch, leg lift and torso twist variation known to man. And though some worked better than others in “feeling the burn”, one conclusion I quickly reached is that banging out several hundred at a time is more likely to lead to a bad back then six pack abs.

My beef is not with crunches themselves, but any exercise which does not result in maximal return on investment. And much like the plank, this approach amounts to a long duration, low load stress being placed on the torso.

The difference is that much of this stress is directed toward the spine versus the abs– probably not the best idea for those already hunched over a computer several hours a day!

While neither exercise fits the bill alone, the missing link for building a ripped and functional torso is understanding how to condense sufficient intensity and density (amount of work performed) in to a routine which does not jack up the spine.

In this article, I will address the problems associated with both the plank and crunch and explain how to incorporate each exercise in to a routine which will challenge even the strongest stomach while busting your ass in the process—all in around five minutes.

Overcoming Misconceptions

While planks are intended to provide a sustained, low load contraction to build endurance in the abdominals, the static variety clearly falls short when it comes to abdominal development.

That being said, everything changes when we incorporate movement of the arms and legs. Specifically, this is done by performing moves such as crawling and stepping in a plank position while maintaining a flat back and abdominal brace.

Suddenly, this exercise becomes infinitely more difficult and offers several benefits:

  • While crunches primarily target the upper portion of the rectus abdominus (six-pack or beer gut) only, planks can be utilized to systematically hit every area of the stomach to address muscle imbalances commonly seen in the lower abdominals and external obliques (side abs).
  • While an excess of crunches creates or reinforces a kyphosis posture (or a hunch back), plank variations have a positive impact shoulder and upper back stability by forcing the user to stabilize the trunk with the arms and/or elbows.
  • By training torso stability while moving the arms and legs, plank variations positively impact athletic performance and weightlifting by enhancing the efficiency of force transfer from the lower to the upper body.

Incorporating Intensity

Especially when combined with a high stress stimulus, dynamic planks suddenly become the ultimate accessory exercise by providing prolonged time under tension for the abs while limiting spinal stress.

This is accomplished by pairing low rep exercises which involve torso flexion with planking movements to increase time under tension. The decision on which exercise to use comes down to the area of the stomach you intend to target.

In a recent article on the Best Exercises for Abdominal Activation, strength coach Bret Contreas lists several choices for each area of the stomach:

  • Rectus Abdominis– Chin Up, Hanging Leg Raise, Ab wheel rollout Swiss Ball Crunch
  • Internal Oblique- Ab Wheel from Feet, Ab Wheel from Knees, Bodysaw, Tornado Ball Slam
  • External oblique- Ab Wheel from Feet, Hanging Leg Raise, Bodysaw, Turkish Get Up

Picking Your Planks

After determining the target area of the stomach, the next step is exercise selection. The idea is to choose one core strength exercise followed by two plank variations performed back to back to prolong time under tension.

While Bret’s article offers a comprehensive selection for strength exercises, we want to choose plank variations which incorporate limb motion in the particular area we wish to develop.

For the rectus abdominus and anterior external obliques, this would include two frontal plank variations which involve the arms and legs. For the lateral external obliques’, this would mean two side plank variations.

We will divide these two areas in to anterior core (front of stomach) and lateral core (side abs) for simplicity.

Sample Workout #1- Anterior Core focus

This workout is intended to target the lower rectus abdominus.

In order to do so, we have chosen an exercise involving leg lowering followed by two frontal planking exercises which utilize the arms and legs.

Because the rep ranges are kept fairly low, it is important to move slowly enough to maintain an abdominal brace and build optimal fatigue

1. Stability ball leg lower — 5 reps

2. Stability ball push out — 8 reps

3. Stability ball knee tuck — 8 reps

Video example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTdrbgv2VEU

Sample Workout #2- Lateral Core focus

The half get up is a favorite of mine for targetting this area while also promoting stability of the shoulder.

We follow this up with two weighted side plank variations which will the sides of the stomach. While each of these movements can be made progressively heavier, they do not require much weight to be effective (10-20lbs works well for most) and should also be performed with slow and controlled movement.

1. Half get up — 5 reps

2. Weighted side plank pulse — 8 reps

3. Side plank row— 8 reps

Video example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-ujk4RBBUs

Time is of the Essence

One thing you will notice from the above is that we did not include sets with our rep ranges. In our system, this is mainly due to the issue of time.

Because our clients are often faced with time constraints and short attention spans, our solution has been to incorporate timed circuits popularized in Charles Staley’s Escalating Density Training to really ramp up the intensity.

This can be done by simply setting a clock for 5-7 minutes and performing as many rounds as possible with proper form. Ideal for the time challenged trainee, this approach is also a great finisher after your strength training or conditioning work.

Putting It All Together

With a solid core (I couldn’t resist) of planking know-how, this sequence of exercises is all you will ever need to build superior strength and definition in your torso. Simply pick one strength exercises which directly targets your chosen area of the core followed by two supplementary plank movements from the list provided below.

Because the abdominals recover quickly, training for these muscles should be performed 4-5 times per week. Generally, we will rotate exercises and/or target areas of the stomach every two to three weeks.

But while more advanced trainees may benefit from a split which targets one area of the stomach only, a solid split for most beginners is devoting one day to both anterior and lateral core for overall development.

Sample split:

Mon: Anterior Core
Tues: Lateral Core
Wed: off
Thurs: Anterior Core
Fri: Lateral Core
Sat: Off
Sun: Off

Conclusion

For anyone doubters on the effectiveness of the plank, I challenge you to sample the workouts above and prepare for the plank beat your abs (and ass) in to submission!

Exercises

1. Lower extremity frontal plank examples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKbcUeFfjF8

2. Upper extremity frontal plank examples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQE8dVMChdM

3. Side plank examples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAVWltGpKM

About the Author

Chris Kelly is a strength coach, fitness writer and educator based in T
ampa Florida. He specializes in innovative strength, conditioning and core training solutions for athletes, models, actors and figure competitors preparing for show. Check out his blog at http://modelfit1.blogspot.com


core-training-workouts-six-packs-abs-workouts

fast-bodybuilding-workouts-how-to-build-muscle

Tags: abdominal training, core strength training, core training, core training workouts, muscle building workouts, planks, six pack abs
Posted in strength training muscle building workouts, strength training powerlifting, strength training to improve athletic performance, strength training workouts | 5 Comments »

Hardest Core Exercise EVER – Part 1

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

Hardest Core Exercise EVER

Part 1

I am starting a new series on Diesel to really jack up your core training.  It is titled the “Hardest Core Exercise EVER” series.  It will contain some of the hardest core training exercises ever created.  Most are used with the athletes or bodybuilders I train at Diesel.  Needless to say, there are very tough.
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THIS KILLER POST AFTER THE JUMP (more…)

Tags: abdominal training, athletic strength training, bodybuilding, core training workouts, explosive athletes, hard core exercises, no BS core training, power training for athletes, real core training, six pack abs
Posted in accelerated muscular development, core training workouts, core workouts for athletes, strength training muscle building workouts, strength training to improve athletic performance, strength training workouts | 4 Comments »

Hardest Core Exercise EVER – Part 1

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

Hardest Core Exercise EVER

Part 1

I am starting a new series on Diesel to really jack up your core training.  It is titled the “Hardest Core Exercise EVER” series.  It will contain some of the hardest core training exercises ever created.  Most are used with the athletes or bodybuilders I train at Diesel.  Needless to say, there are very tough.
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THIS KILLER POST AFTER THE JUMP (more…)

Tags: abdominal training, athletic strength training, bodybuilding, core training workouts, explosive athletes, hard core exercises, no BS core training, power training for athletes, real core training, six pack abs
Posted in accelerated muscular development, core training workouts, core workouts for athletes, strength training muscle building workouts, strength training to improve athletic performance, strength training workouts | No Comments »

What is the Best Training Equipment?
Diesel Iron Master - Graham Bartholomew

Diesel Crew Newsletter


Get Diesel Blog Posts Emailed to You:

  



DIESEL DIRECTORY

Find EVERY Single Post Ever Written on DieselCrew.com.

Click Here: All DieselCrew.com Entries

Search DieselCrew.com

Upcoming Events

CONTEST: Grip Hogs Day, Wyalusing PA

Click Here


Motivation & Muscle Podcast

Featured Products

DC Grip Strength
how to train to lift the blob

bend steel, bend wrenches, roll frying pans




How to Bend Horseshoes








How to Bend Horseshoes
    How to Tear Phone Books
Card Tearing Ebook
     Bending Manual
Nail Bending DVD
Euro Pinch Two Hands Pinch Yraining
Nail Bending DVD
    build grip strength hand strength forearm strength
Diesel Strength Training Products

build strength strongman training information
Advanced Kettlebell Challenges Build Strength with Kettlebells
    improve strength conditioning recovery grip strength
home made strength training equipment
how to do strongman atlas stone training
Members Only
build grip strength and learn feats of strength

Stay Connected – Jedd

Friend me on Twitter!
Subscribe to my Youtube Videos!
Friend me on Facebook!
Check Out my Images on Flickr!
Join my Network on LinkedIn!
Check out my blog!

Training Center

FREE EBOOK - AWESOME

How to Build Muscle Articles

3 Insanely Effective Upper Body Warm-ups

Ultimate Lower Body Warm-up

Ultimate Pull-up Video

How to Shoulder Rehab

How to Bench Press

How to Squat

How to Deadlift

How to Train with Odd Objects

Top 7 Tips for Building Muscle

Massive Back Training

Massive Arm Training 1

Massive Arm Training 2

Massive Arm Training 3

Advanced Activation Techniques

Speed Training for Athletes

Perfect Workout for Travelers

Popular Videos

Shoulder Rehab Protocol

Ultimate Two Minute Warm-up

No More Knee Pain - Part 1

No More Knee Pain - Part 2

Advanced Pull-up Training 1

Advanced Pull-up Training 2

Improve Pressing Power 1

Improve Pressing Power 2

Popular Articles

Celebrity Fitness - Build Muscle

How to Build Muscle

Build Muscle Now with Ladders

19 Tips for Fixing Your Squat

Fix Your Squat - Part 2

Fixing the Shoulders

The Summer Six-Pack

Keys for the Hard Gainer

Improving Your Deadlift Grip

Top 5 Core Exercises

Media

Home Team Diesel
Media Resources
Products Forum

MUSCLE BUILDING / GAIN MUSCLE MASS / HOW TO BUILD MUSCLE:
Accelerated Muscular Development | How to Build Muscle | How to Bench Press Muscle Building Anatomy | Muscle Building Nutrition - Build Muscle Mass | Sled Dragging Workouts Strength Training - Muscle Building Workouts | Strength Training Powerlifting | Strength Training Workouts How to Lose Fat - Fat Loss | Kettlebell Training | Strength Training Workouts Injury Rehab - How to Rehab an Injury

CORE WORKOUTS / CORE TRAINING / SIX PACKS ABS:
Core Training Workouts | Core Workouts for Athletes

ATHLETIC STRENGTH TRAINING / STRENGTH WORKOUTS / BUILD STRENGTH:
Athletic Strength Training Train With Odd Objects Strength Training to Improve Athletic Performance | Core Workouts for Athletes | Strongman Training for Athletes Baseball Strength and Conditioning | Improve Speed Bag Training

GRIP STRENGTH / IMPROVE GRIP STRENGTH / GRIP TRAINING FOR ATHLETES:
Bending Grip Strength | How to Tear Cards | Grip Strength Blob Lifting | How to Improve Crushing Grip Strength Improve Grip Strength | Improve Crushing Grip Strength | Grip Strength Blob Lifting | Grip Strength Competition

OLD STRONGMAN / OLD TIME STRONGMAN / STRONGMAN FEATS OF STRENGTH:
Old Strongman Feats of Strength

DAILY MOTIVATION / INSPIRATION:
Daily Inspiration - Motivation

BUILD YOUR OWN GYM:
Create Your Own Garage Gym

Copyright © 2006 – 2009 The Diesel Crew, LLC. All rights reserved.

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer

Cleantalk Pixel