Next, we'll take a look at several methods for strengthening and
conditioning the abdominals. The "traditional" exercises are well known tomost athletes. There are also some "exotic" methods for working this area. First, let's review some of the old favorites:
Next, we’ll take a look at several methods for strengthening and
conditioning the abdominals. The "traditional" exercises are well known tomost athletes. There are also some "exotic" methods for working this area. First, let’s review some of the old favorites: 1. Situps: There are many variations on this simple exercise. One may layflat on the ground with legs extended straight, legs bent at the knee, or either with the feet hooked under a support object to provide extra
leverage. You then "curl" the upper body up to a sitting position without
jerking the body with the hands. It is especially important NOT to jerk on
the head to complete the situp! This practice can damage the neck. Of
course, there are numerous boards, etc. sold for performing situps at
various angles which can allow one to fine-tune the difficulty of the
movement. New philosophies regarding the situp are typically directed toward reducing the involvement of the hip flexors during the situp motion. The "Janda" situp, recently popularized by Pavel Tsatsouline (www.dragondoor.com) is a simple method of eliminating the hip flexor from this motion. Basically, you lie on your back with legs bent, knees at right angle. You contract your glutes, and attempt to "drag" your heels along the ground toward your butt. Although there is really not any motion of the heels, this tension activates the hip extensors, thereby relieving the hip flexors of involvement. It helps to have a partner provide a pulling force against the calf/achilles tendon area for you to pull against. You may also use a strap hooked around the upright of a power rack to hook your legs into. Pavel sells a more expensive, dedicated device on the aforementioned website. 2. Crunches: The crunch is another common method of eliminating the hip flexors from the situp motion. In this motion, you merely lift the shoulder blades off the ground by contracting the abdomen. The hip flexors never really get a chance to get into the movement, since the range of travel is less than a complete situp. Crunches may be performed with feet on the floor or with feet elevated/knees bent (such as placing your lower legs on the seat of a chair). 3. Leglifts: This motion involves lifting the feet in a curling motion of
the abdomen. The theory behind this movement ( and its many variations) is that the abdominals consist of Upper and Lower portions of the muscle, and each must be worked individually to achieve optimal development. The abdominal wall consists of many muscular segments connected by fibrous, tendonous tissue. These segments are meant to work together to provide a variety of torso movement and control. For a martial artist, using exercises which work the entire abdomen effectively are the best use of training time, since we should really be moving onto other things, instead of performing endless situp variations, etc. The above exercises, in many variations, have been the mainstays of
abdominal training programs for many years. There are, however, several types of exercises which I feel are more effective for training the entire abdomen, as well as being a bit more interesting for martial artists in their training: 1. Atomic situps (V-ups): These are a combination of the situp and the
leglift. You lie on your back with your legs straight and feet together.
You extend your arms over your head. To begin, lift your feet six inches
from the ground (they will not touch the ground again until the entire set
is over). Next, you raise your upper body and lift your legs, keeping them
straight. You attempt to touch your toes with your fingertips, while only
your butt is on the ground. Your body will resemble a "V" at the top of the
motion. This movement contracts the abdominals from both ends at once, and provides excellent overall effect. To learn more about this exercise, go to www.trainforstrength.com, where Wayne Fisher, better known as Scrapper, has posted workout routines he uses to train Navy Seals and divers at the base in Honolulu, Hawaii. Scrapper has competed in several NHB fights, and is familiar with the needs of fighters for abdominal conditioning work. Heoffers an excellent set of bodyweight workout routines on videos at a very reasonable price, and there are several routines for different levels of your condition. I’ll be talking more about this video set, as well as Scrapper’s training methods, in future columns where we’ll discuss calesthenics and bodyweight training methods. 2. Swiss ball work: The popularity of the swiss ball stems from its
inherent instability as you attempt to perform traditional exercises while
laying over it. The "wiggling", etc. that occurs during movements performed on the ball is thought to activate many other small muscles in an attempt to "stabilize" your body during exercise. You may perform situps, leglifts, twisting variations, etc. on the ball, or you may combine the ball with other methods, such as medicine ball training. 3. Medicine ball work: Using a medicine ball to add resistance can provide great benefit to your ab training program. You may have a partner stand on your toes while you lie on your back with legs bent. This will anchor you for the game of "catch" you will have with your partner. You take themedicine ball with both hands on your chest, sit back until your shoulder blades touch the ground, then sit up and toss the ball to your standing partner. You remain in the upright position until he tosses the ball back to you, and you repeat the motion. Catching the ball above your head at various distances as you begin to sit back, as well as the force of your partner’s throw, are ways to alter the intensity of this movement. Of course, the weight of the ball plays a part too! You may also squeeze the ball between your feet and perform leg lifts, etc. One tough variation is the side twist: Lie on your back with the ball
pinched between your feet. Keeping your legs straight, lift your legs until
your feet are pointing straight at the ceiling. Now, move your legs to one
side, keeping the right angle between them and your torso, until you touch the ground at your side. Then, lift your legs back to the upright position. Don’t drop the ball! You’ll need to stabilize yourself with your arms if the ball weighs very much. AS ALWAYS, PERFORM ALL MOVEMENTS SMOOTHLY WITHOUT JERKING! BAD FORM WILL INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF INJURY AND ALSO CHEATS YOU OUT OF THE BENEFIT OF EACH EXERCISE! Finally, one of the prevalent questions about abdominal training regards the format of a workout routine. Whether to use high repetitions with
bodyweight, or low repetitions with added weight, and how often to train the abs are the most frequent questions I get about ab training. I will state that the abdominals are muscles, and muscles respond to training in predictable ways! If you need more endurance, and the baseline strength that higher-rep training can provide, then use that scheme for your ab training as well as any other muscle group. If you want to increase size- -and strength, then you must increase the resistance to the muscle group and use set/rep schemes which are better suited to that intensity level. This rule holds for ab training just like any other muscle group. You must also rest the abs after a heavy training session, just like any other muscle group, to obtain optimal results from your effort. For instance, you won’t get stronger at bench press by doing pushups, unless you’re pretty weak at that motion. You also would not want to do two days in a row of heavy squats, since the recovery time would not be enough! Get the point? Abs behave just like the other muscles! Train them intelligently, and you will get the best "bang-for-your-buck"! There are obviously more variations of abdominal exercises which we did not discuss here. To include every type, etc. would be beyond the scope of the intent of this article. I hope I’ve given you a few things to think about as you structure your ab training routine. As with any other part of the NHB fighter’s conditioning routine, try to get maximal results with a minimum of energy spent, so you may have more energy to devote to skill-specific training! If you have any specific questions regarding ab training, or any aspect of
MMA training, you may email me using the link provided. NOTE: AN ARCHIVE OF PAST ARTICLES AND ROUTINES, ETC. WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON. PLEASE BE PATIENT, AND ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE WRITTEN WITH REQUESTS FOR THIS INFO WILL HAVE ACCESS TO IT! THANK YOU!! If you would like to contact Mr. Aldridge concerning anything related to the issues he discusses, drop him an email
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