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petesclass.com Abdominal Training for the Beginner PETE ESTABROOKS Creator of The Core and Hard Core series Weeks Pack TO START YOUR

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petesclass.com

Abdominal Trainingfor the Beginner

PETE ESTABROOKSCreator of The Core and Hard Core series

WeeksPackTO START YOUR

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Abdominal Training for the Beginner

PETE ESTABROOKS

Calgary, Alberta

WeeksPackTO START YOUR

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Peter Estabrooks1613 27 Ave SW Calgary Alberta T2T 1G7

403 244 9989 www.petesclass.com ©2005 by Peter Estabrooks

All rights reserved.Printed in Canada

ISBN [0-9737393-0-4]National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data

Estabrooks, Peter 6 Weeks to Start Your 6 Pack

ISBN [0-9737393-0-4][Health and fitness]

Designed by Robert Jobst

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To Kyla whose words inspire me, actions delight me, and whose brilliant nutritional advice has left

my abs visible to the naked eye.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgementsvii

Introduction1

You Are What You Eat, or Damn It All Anyway3

Back It Up15

Abs Over Easy25

Integration, Not Isolation33

v

Abdominal Training for the Beginner

TO START YOURWeeksPack

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I owe a debt of gratitude to Kyla Zalapski for supporting and educating me in every way possible,

Val Berenyi, a writing guide beyond reproach, Gary Senkowski for years of expert photography

(it’s not his fault—that really is my good side), andJay Winans for the editing skills that put a halt to

all my run-on sentences except this one.

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Introduction

Welcome to the wild and woolly world of abdominal training!—wild because most everyone ignores it except for six weeks priorto swimsuit season, and woolly because wool is what infomer-cials try to pull over your eyes when they’re selling the next“fast track to a six pack.” The truth is that unless you beginwith an existing four-pack and an effective dietary regime, thereis no “fast track to a six pack.” Relating abdominal training toreducing the size of your waist is like avoiding regular mainte-nance on your car and then trying to repair any problems thatarise by fixing the road; one is not directly related to the other.

From an abdominal training perspective, proper muscular func-tion, postural enhancement, and strength development are allpossible, even probable, via a sound exercise route, which iswhat we are offering here. To dispel common myths and myth-takes, use this as your abs primer. This is your “Cole’s Notes”for fit folks.

Note: This program is intended for healthy individuals free ofback pain. Exercising the deep abdominal and back muscles canstrengthen and protect the back by helping to prevent injuries;however, abdominal training or any other fitness-based pro-grams should not be attempted without the clearance of yourdoctor, physiotherapist, and probably your lawyer as well. Ifyour physician has cleared you to engage in this abdominaltraining program then welcome to your future.

6 Weeks to Start Your 6 Pack 1

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6 Weeks to Start Your 6 Pack 3

You Are What You Eat,or Damn It All Anyway

Do you really want a six-pack? The most important group ofmuscles and the hardest to control for abdominal definition arelocated just above your chin and below your nose. How youlook is what you eat, not what you do. This is not a diet book,but if you want to see any indication of the stronger abdominalwall we are going to establish in the next six weeks, we have todeal with this, the toughest issue, first.

Regardless of how often and how well you work out, it is whatyou eat that will be the number-one determinant of yourhealth. More than likely, eating is the last thing you want todeal with while you “get in shape,” but you cannot put the cartbefore the horse. It is far easier to make sure that you work outhard five or six times a week than it is to eat well three or fourtimes a day. Did I say work out five or six times a week? Yes,ultimately that is what this book is all about, getting off thecouch, putting down your fork, and stepping away from thetable.

Realistically we do not need rest as much as we need exercise.We rest our muscles every day while sitting at a desk, in a car,on the phone, or watching television. Fighting this trend andchanging your body is going to take a little pain, a little resist-ance, and a lot of willpower. The truth is that you should bephysically active in one form or another as many days a week asyou eat. As we age our metabolism slows, our muscle massdegenerates, and the frivolous food choices made in our pastcatch up to us. Any hope we have of proudly baring ripped bel-

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4 6 Weeks to Start Your 6 Pack

lies lies in establishing functional long-term eating habits. Now Iam not saying you can’t break out of the cave once in a whileand hunt down a pack of wild Oreos, but if it’s abdominal defini-tion you’re after, closer attention to dietary detail is a necessity.

It really should be no big deal—food is nothing more than fuel.Food is nourishment that allows us the energy necessary tocomplete our chosen day-to-day tasks. Food does not work asyour friend, your counsellor, your support group, or your hobby.If food is playing any of these roles, you can and should addressit, educate yourself on what works for you, and deal with it oneday at a time in conjunction with an exercise program.

Take the time to understand at least the basics of nutrition andyou’ll take less time to realize and maintain your goals. The fol-lowing is a list containing the types of meals and snacks that Ieat. It may help you while you study, practice, and determinethe eating habits that will keep you lean, healthy, and energetic.My dietary influence and reference is Kyla Zalapski’s Roots ofOrigin, a modern-day hunter/gatherer-based protocol. Myadvice is to contact her at [email protected] orwww.petesclass.com and review the information and links atsites like www.beyondvegetarianism.com to make food choicesthat will let your abs scream out “I am strong” six weeks fromnow.

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6 Weeks to Start Your 6 Pack 5

Meals, meals, and even more meals whileyou are developing your own plan

BREAKFASTS• Two boiled eggs with salsa and a four- to six-ounce protein

shake• Protein shake and/or one cup of ground flax and yogurt with

raisins and cinnamon• Organic yogurt with ground flax and fruit (you can add pro-

tein powder to the yogurt)• Two or three poached eggs with sautéed mushrooms and red

pepper• One grapefruit, Chai tea, half-cup slivered almonds with rasp-

berries, and almond milk• Three-egg omelet with green peppers, broccoli, and onions• Organic yogurt with fresh fruit• Three scrambled eggs and a grapefruit half• Half-cup mixed nuts with raisins, cinnamon, grated apple, a

pinch of raw honey, and almond milk• Four- to eight-ounce protein shake, one orange, and one

plum

MORNING SNACKS• One pear and a handful of almonds• One orange and/or one peach• One apple and/or one plum• Half-cup dried peaches or mango with one grapefruit• One fresh nectarine• Plum and handful macadamia nuts• Handful pecans with two dried papaya spears• Dried cherries with walnuts• Apple with cashew or almond butter

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• Pear and herbal tea• Sliced cucumbers with sea salt and cherry tomatoes

LUNCHES• Baked chicken (four ounces), seasoned with thyme, sage, and

Herbamare, with salad• Chicken soup with celery, green onion, and peas (may add

one chopped boiled egg)• Halibut (four to six ounces) on salad with cherry tomoatoes• Leftover salad and tuna (four ounces)• Assorted raw veggies dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar

with two chicken legs• Salmon (four to six ounces) and romaine lettuce with sliced

avocado half• Two boiled eggs with pepper, Herbamare, and salsa on

spinach salad• Thinly sliced roast beef (four ounces) wrapped in romaine

lettuce leaves with Dijon mustard and/or horseradish• Sauteed hamburger (four ounces) and red onion over salad

with dressing

MORE SNACKS (all dried fruit should be unsulfured)• Fifteen snap peas (Mann’s)• Sunflower seeds, raisins, and dried currants• Handful of brazil nuts and dried apricots• Mixed raw veggies (Mann’s)• Homemade jerky (beef, chicken, or salmon)• Apple with almond butter• Small bunch grapes (10–20)• One cup fresh berries or fruit in season• Handful hazelnuts and mixed dried fruit

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• Raw radishes or three kiwi fruits• Organic fresh pickling cucumbers with sea salt and garlic

DINNERS• Steamed snapper (six to eight ounces) seasoned with fresh dill

and Herbamare with steamed broccoli• Organic hamburger patties (six ounces) with organic non-

dairy mushroom soup (soup as gravy in saucepan with ham-burger)

• Stir fry of two tablespoons organic sesame oil, sesame seeds,fresh green pepper, green onion, broccoli, red pepper, shrimp,bok choy, celery

• Barbecued or broiled arctic char or halibut (six to eightounces) with grilled green, red, and yellow peppers (vegeta-bles dipped in balsamic vinegar)

• Fresh tuna (six to eight ounces) with Greek salad (cucumber,romaine, red onion, olives) and dressing of garlic, olive oil,anchovies, fresh lemon juice, Herbamare, basil, and pepper

• Baked turkey breast (six ounces) with steamed green beans,garlic, and pine nuts

• Small baked chicken (six to eight ounces) seasoned with freshsage, thyme, pepper, Herbamare, garlic with mixed organicgreens salad

• Grilled salmon steak (six to eight ounces) with grilled orsteamed asparagus tips

• Rack of lamb or lamb chops (four to eight ounces) withsteamed spinach and kale with lemon

• Roast beef (four to eight ounces) with HAIN (veggie-based)gravy and cauliflower and Brussels sprouts

• Steamed artichoke, baby carrots, and roast duck (six to eightounces)

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Where Are My Abs Anyway?

The elusive six-pack is the external appearance of one of theseveral abdominal muscles that form a natural belt of musclethat protects the integrity of your back and allows everydayactivity. This group of trunk muscles maintains your posture andenables you to bend, twist, throw, and leap your way throughlife with enthusiasm.

Here is the entire team in order of appearance and nature offunction:

The rectus abdominis, a long flat band of muscle running downthe front of your torso and joining your lower ribs to the bot-tom of your pelvis. The rectus abdominis flexes the body for-ward, as in a regular “crunch” movement, or pulls the hipstowards the ribs as in a “reverse crunch” movement. You see aquarter at your feet, you bend to pick it up—that is the averageuse of the rectus abdominis. David Beckham senses a ballbehind him, leaps in the air, does a classic backwards somersaultmovement kicking that ball, feet above his head back in thedirection from which it came—that is the above-average use ofthe rectus abdominis.

On either side of your body, the external obliques sit alongsidethe rectus abdominis, attaching the lower ribs to the pelvis.Acting alone they can bend your body sideways; when you areperforming “I’m A Little Teapot,” your spout-side externalobliques flex to “pour you out.” These muscles also rotate yourtrunk to the opposite side. Reach your right hand into your rearleft pocket; strange as that action may seem, those are yourexternal obliques in action.

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6 Weeks to Start Your 6 Pack 9

Underneath all that muscle lie the internal obliques, attachingthe ribs and the pelvis to the back. Working in conjunction withtheir counterpart, the external obliques, these muscles bend youforward. Firing on their own they bend you sideways and can“pour you out.” The internal obliques are a trunk rotator to theside that they are on. When a for-real six-pack walks by you onyour right and you spin around to your right for a secondglance, those are your right internal obliques in action.

Last, but certainly not least, is the transversus abdominis, themuscle group that plays a supporting role for the rest of theabdominal musculature. They work in combination with theinternal obliques and the muscles of the lower back to create acorset of muscle, the only “weight belt” an exerciser shouldever use. Strolling down the beach holding your belly in is youengaging the transversus abdominis.

The transversus abdominis is the key to the six-pack. Correctlyengaging the transversus abdominis creates stability for thepelvis and spine that in turn allows the other abdominal musclesto function correctly.

Finding your transversus abdominis is the first step to putting itto work. Place your fingers a couple of inches in and one inchbelow your hip bones. Cough. Do you feel that tighteningunder your fingers? That is your transversus abdominis. Nowthat we know where it is, put it to work.

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The Exercises

There are no photos necessary for the first two exercises thatyou will be adding to your program daily from now on and forthe next six weeks:

Put Down the Fork Earlier.

1. Only prepare as much food as you need for that meal.

2. Have a healthy snack in between meals so you don’t feelfamished by lunch or dinnertime.

3. Eat slowly. Believe it or not, your hunger will be satisfiedsooner and you’ll be less likely to overeat.

Push away from the Table Sooner.

1. But still eat at the table—without the TV. Limiting youreating to the kitchen or dining-room table has beenshown to help people eat more healthfully.

2. When you are done cooking, serve the plates in thekitchen with appropriate serving sizes. Then put any left-overs into containers and then into the fridge. It will getrid of the temptation to eat more.

3. Remember, you don’t need to go on a diet; you need tochange how you eat and make it a life-changing event!

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The “Horse” Posture1. Kneel on the floor on all fours, hands placed directly under

you shoulders and knees directly under you hips.

2. Inhale deeply and, at the same time, let you belly droptowards the floor.

3. Keeping your spine in perfect postural position, exhale andpull your belly up to your spine. Hold it there—five to tenseconds is long enough.

4. At the end of your repetitions rest for forty-five seconds toone minute.

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The Four-Point Bridge(The Plank)1. Start by lying face down on the floor, focusing on achieving

perfect posture. Pull your shoulder blades together, tightenyour abdominal muscles to pull your belly button up to yourspine (use your abs; do not suck in your breath), andsqueeze your gluteus (yes, your butt cheeks) tight.

2. Raise yourself onto your elbows and your toes while main-taining that perfect postural alignment. Pull in your transver-sus abdominis to protect your back by tightening the mus-cles connecting your ribcage to your pelvis to your back toavoid a “sway-back” posture and undue strain on yourlower back.

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3. Hold yourself in position for fifteen seconds to start, andincrease the amount of time in the bridge to thirty to forty-five seconds when you feel strong enough to do so whilestill capable of maintaining impeccable technique.

This bridge is performed from your elbows and your kneesas a beginner exercise.

Beginner technique

WORKOUT WEEK #1—Every Day■ Three ten-minute, two fifteen-minute, or

one thirty-minute brisk walk.

■ Two to three sets, ten to twelve repetitionsof exercises 1 and 2.

■ Rest for forty-five seconds to one minutebetween each “set” of exercises.

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Here it is, week two, seven “walks” into the program, and youmay already be looking good and feeling better. It is “gut-check” time. We’re asking more of you and expecting it. Thisweek our six-pack primer is light on esthetics and heavy onpracticality. It is about balance, not esoterically but functionally.Your posture says it all; if we concentrate on the “abs,” crunch-es, sit-ups, and leg extensions, we’ll be flexed forward to themax. That means tight hip flexors resulting in a pelvis pulledforward and a flat butt. Furthermore, the tight abdominals willresult in the ribs pulled to pelvis, displaying a pouched belly. Thehead, to compensate for that double whammy, lifts the chin andreaches forward to level everything out. If you glance sidewaysat yourself in the mirror and you look a lot like Popeye minusthe big forearms, some exercises for back extension may berequired.

On a practical level, this imbalance can make walking, standing,and even sitting for extended periods of time an excruciatingevent for many. Careful implementation of back exercises isrequired. Unlike the sore abdominals, a sore back can havedeleterious effects on most activities, so when adding theseexercises do so judiciously. Perform one set of each exercise onthe first day, then two or three during future workouts if noexcess back tightness or stress is perceived.

Back It Up 2

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Prone Back Extension1. Lie face down on a mat with your arms extended overhead.

2. Keeping both arms and legs straight and extended lift yourleft arm straight up towards the ceiling while lifting your leftleg. Contract everything on the posterior side of your body.

3. Contract and tighten everything that will assist in lifting yourchest and right thigh off the floor.

4. Point your toes and tighten your calves, hamstrings, glutesas well as your upper and lower back muscles. Keep yourhead in line with the rest of your spine throughout the moveand return to the start position.

5. Repeat with the right arm and right leg.

*As an option this exercise is also effective when workingopposing sides—right arm and left leg and visa versa

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Medicine Ball/Pillow Extension1. Start by standing tall with perfect posture and your feet a

little wider than shoulder width.

2. Stick your chest out and retract the shoulder blades whilemaintaining natural curves in the spine. Bend at the waist,bending at the knees and reaching the ball, pillow, or smallchild as far through your legs as possible maintaining perfectposture.

3. The knees will naturally bend (slightly that is) as youdescend, and the shins should remain vertical. Keep the armsstraight throughout the movement.

4. When doing it right, you’ll feel a “pull” in the back of yourlegs as your hamstrings lengthen.

5. At this point reverse the movement and drive back up toyour start position.

6. Don’t allow the back to round on bending, and don’t hyper-extend the spine when you stand at the top of the move-ment.

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Heel-to-Ceiling Leg Lift 1. Lie on your back on a bench bent at the waist with your

heels facing the ceiling.

2. Tighten your body and extend your torso, lifting your feetstraight up to the ceiling.

3. A good visual is to imagine that you are balancing a glass ofwater on each heel and want to lift it to the ceiling withoutspilling water on your face.

4. Return to the start position with the utmost control.

5. Advanced participants use the same technique holding a six- to ten-pound medicine ball firmly between your feet.

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WORKOUT WEEK #2—Every Day■ Three ten-minute, two fifteen-minute, or

one thirty-minute brisk walk.

■ Two sets of ten to twelve repetitions of exercises 1 2, 3, 4, and 5.

■ Rest for forty-five seconds to one minutebetween each “set” of exercises.

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Just Add OxygenSo, we’re training our abdominals every other day or threetimes a week or even on a “two days on/one day off” sched-ule, but what about those “off” days?

It’s simple math and relatively common sense to realize thatburning more calories than you consume is going to reduceyour fat content and reveal the results of all your gut-flatteningeffort a lot sooner. To that end, I suggest that every day for thefirst two weeks of the program you walk thirty minutes. I don’tcare if you do it in a sweat suit, shorts, or your Sunday best, justwalk. Brisk is best; sweat is all right; too fast for extended andinvolved conversation is even better. More than anything, youneed to be out there establishing a habit of movement. If noth-ing else, it’s thirty more minutes you are not snacking. Ab dayor not, for the first three weeks, every day is the same: thirtyminutes of walking. This is continuous consistent walking, ofcourse. Sixty thirty-second walks to the fridge and back do notcount.

One Step FurtherThe “walk thirty minutes a day” program will suffice if you arejust getting back into exercise or have no background in run-ning. If, after your first six weeks of training/walking, you’d liketo meet another challenge, you might increase the pace. I per-sonally like running. There is no more effective method of burn-ing calories, anywhere, anytime, without anything but yourshoes, than running. There is a problem with running, however,and that is that if you have no experience, it is easy to overtrainand injure yourself. Injury means no running and probably nowalking, which puts us back to square one. So here is the deal:For the first three weeks, walk every day for thirty minutes. If

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you hope to progress to a running program, this daily routinewill build your soft tissue capability—muscles, ligaments, andtendons—by building muscular endurance and enhancing jointstability.

Following three weeks of religiously walking every day for thirtyminutes, you will progress to a Week 1 (every second day)Walk/Run Program. This consists of walking briskly for five min-utes, followed by twelve repetitions of running for one minutealternating with walking for one minute, and then concludingwith walking another five minutes to “cool down.”

The speed of the run is irrelevant—this is a beginning program,and the exercise should gentle. If you have any doubts aboutthe correct speed, you should be able to carry on a conversationwhile running. After the cool-down, stretch your legs thorough-ly with one stretch for your quads, one stretch for your ham-strings, and a couple of stretches for your calves. The, cool-down and stretches remain the same with each run as your pro-gram progresses. Week 2 of the Run/Walk Program consists ofgetting out every second day with a five-minute warm-up, fol-lowed by eight repetitions of running for two minutes alternat-ing with walking for one minute, followed by a five-minutewalking cool-down and stretch.

Week 6 has you running in earnest according to the followingschedule. But wait! Remember this: all running times are in min-utes. Five minutes of walking precedes all runs; five minutes ofwalking concludes all runs; and post-run stretching is required.Good sense running rules apply: any injuries incurred from over-running, failing to stretch, or running when injured are the soleresponsibility of the runner. Whining about said injuries is notpermitted.

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Here’s the schedule:

Mon or Tues. Wed. or Thurs. Sat. or Sun.

10 minutes 15 minutes 20 minutes

12 minutes 15 minutes 22 minutes

14 minutes 15 minutes 20 minutes

16 minutes 15 minutes 24 minutes

18 minutes 15 minutes 22 minutes

20 minutes 15 minutes 27 minutes

10 minutes 15 minutes 22 minutes

20 minutes 15 minutes 29 minutes

10 minutes 15 minutes 24 minutes

20 minutes 15 minutes 30 minutes

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Without turning this chapter into a brain-numbing discourse on physiology, let’s talk about the makeup of your abdominal muscles. The discussion is important only to understand why we perform the “sets” and “repetitions” that we do in the program.

Our abdominal muscles are comprised of two basic types offibers: slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fiber. Slow-twitchfibers will not contract very fast or forcefully but have greatendurance. Slow-twitch are the muscles fueled by our fat sup-plies with the assistance of oxygen during moderate-intensity,long-term exercise. These slow-twitch (aerobic) muscles con-tract efficiently, allowing for muscular endurance and the con-stant and repetitive movements necessary for survival. Thesefunctions include holding your organs in place, maintainingproper posture, sustaining breathing patterns, and holding yourgut in whenever you pass a mirror.

Slow-twitch muscle fibers are the first to be called into playwhen performing a given exercise. When the workout intensityis low, these may be the only motor units that are used. If theexercise is difficult and the intensity is high, as it may be whenyou add weight or perform a fast movement or increase thedemand on your sense of balance, the slow-twitch fibers arerecruited first, followed by fast-twitch. No matter what theintensity, slow-twitch muscles are recruited first and are there-fore used in every exercise. The fast-twitch muscles come intoplay when the slow-twitch can no longer handle the load.

Abs Over Easy 3

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Fast-twitch (anaerobic) muscles are used during short bursts ofenergy and physical activities that are predominantly anaerobicin nature, such as performing the dynamic explosive movementsnecessary in throwing, running, and leaping over tall buildingsin a single bound. Crunches against resistance, wood chops ofvarious types, and weighted repetitions of all abdominal exercis-es will require the assistance of these types of muscle fibers.

The long and the short of it is that the makeup of the abdomi-nal muscles is no different than the muscles in your legs, arms,and chest in that there are both muscle types represented. Thismeans that the old-fashioned idea of “sets” consisting of hun-dreds of repetitions or “crunches” has limited value when tryingto establish the wall of muscle that will soon be your abdomen.

One final point: Your abdominal muscles will get stronger inresponse to stress (exercise, not swimsuit season). This adapta-tion occurs during the forty-eight hours after you exercise. Becareful; it is easy to overtrain, strain, and disappoint yourself.Training the entirety of your abdominal complex daily is a recipefor disappointment. You should no more expect to be able todo more than one to three sets of one or two beginner exercisesevery second day at first than you would expect to run amarathon during your first month of running.

WORKOUT WEEK #3—Every Day■ Three ten-minute, two fifteen-minute, or one thirty-

minute brisk walk.

■ Two sets, ten to twelve repetitions of exercises 1, 2, 3, 4,and 5.

■ Rest for forty-five seconds to one minute between each“set” of exercises.

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A Method to Our MadnessIf you are training all of your abdominal muscles in one fellswoop, we have the choice starting this week of working outevery day or every second day. The order is lower abs, obliques,and then upper abs. The low abdominals stabilize and maintainthe integrity of the spine and pelvis, providing support duringexercise, so it is best to address them first to ensure that theycontribute that quality as we continue. Work your obliques sec-ond, as they contribute to that stabilization and support of thespine and pelvis in some of the exercise and movement. Theupper abdominals are the strongest and most active mover inmost exercises and for that reason are trained last.

In a nutshell, the lower abs require the coordination and sup-port of the upper abs to function correctly, and the obliquesrequire similar coordination and support from the upper abs.The upper abs, obliques, and back extensors provide the activemovement during exercise. Before that active movement canoccur, the low abdominals have to be able to stabilize the spineand pelvis. To train the upper abs first would be to decreasetheir ability to support the lower abs and obliques as required.

This week we are stepping up both the intensity of our work-outs and your understanding of abdominal training. Our prac-tice of abs every second day may now graduate to a dailyregime. Doesn’t that fly in the face of my advice moments agoof allowing a muscle forty-eight hours for rest, recuperation,and regeneration? No, and here is why. The abdominal complexis, for the most part, made up of the specific groups we’veidentified, that is, three separate groups of muscles. Now it’s upto you: do you load them up together every second day orwork lower and upper abs one day and obliques the next? It’syour call. Here is what to keep in mind.

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The order of exercise execution is still important. The long rec-tus abdominis is unique in that it can be signalled from thebrain at eight different points to contract; like having a musclewith eight brains. As redundant as the following seems, Irepeat myself because the order of exercise will play a role inyour success. I credit Paul Chek (Scientific Core Conditioning,1992, 1998) for teaching me the reasons for training your lowabs first, your obliques second, and your upper abs last.

Bottom line? Train smart, train hard, and, in this rare instance,color between the lines.

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Oblique Bridge1. Lie on your side, elbow directly under your shoulder.

2. Tighten your obliques (your side) and lift your hips off theground.

3. Keep your weight on your bottom foot and elbow.

4. Keep your ribcage high while you lower your hips half off the floor.

5. Repeat.

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Lying Oblique Dumbbell Chop1. Lie on the floor, arms above your head in a fully extended

sit-up position, holding onto a weight (medicine ball, dumb-bell, heavy pillow, small child, etc.).

2. Sit up, moving your head, neck, and shoulders together androtating your body as you lift, reaching your arms to theoutside of your legs on one side.

3. Return to the start position and repeat.

4. Perform the appropriate number of reps to one side andthen do the other side.

WORKOUT WEEK #4—Every DayDay 1:

■ Two fifteen-minute or one thirty-minute brisk walk.

■ Warm up seven to twelve minutes (you can use yourwalk to warm up).

■ Two to three sets of twelve to fifteen repetitions of exer-cises 1, 5, 6, and 7. Take thirty to forty-five secondsbetween each set of the exercises.

Day 2:

■ Thirty-minute brisk walk.

■ Warm up seven to twelve minutes.

■ Two to three “sets” of twelve to fifteen repetitions ofexercises 1, 2, 3, and 4. Take thirty to forty-five secondsbetween each set of the exercises.

Reps are not as important as technique. Can’t maintain theform? Stop. Rest, recover, and move on.

30 6 Weeks to Start Your 6 Pack

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Try as you might, there is precious little you can do with yourabdominal muscles alone. Sure, they hold your internal organsin place and sustain the back in times of stress, but where arethe abs when left to function on their own. What can theabdominals do by themselves? Laundry? I think not. Brush yourteeth? Put away dishes? Mow the lawn? Nope, never, not achance.

Your abdominal complex is the quintessential “everyman” ofbodily movement. At their best they are an asset to everythingyou do standing up and even some of what goes on lyingdown, but that is your business. The abdominals are integratedinto our walking, running, striding, lifting, carrying, and throw-ing movements, and it is for that very reason that we shouldemploy as much integrated movement in our abdominal train-ing as we can. That means that this week’s exercises are a littlemore active. Our goal involves more movement through agreater range of motion with proper posture and impeccabletechnique.

Integration,Not Isolation 4

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34 6 Weeks to Start Your 6 Pack

Sit-up from a Bench, CoffeeTable, or the End of Your Bed1. Start by lying in a face-up position on a bench or box (the

higher the box, the easier the exercise).

2. Hold a medicine ball or pillow extended over your head withyou hips and pelvis maintaining their proper posture to thebench, table, or bed.

3. Avoiding momentum and relying on your integrating theactions of you thighs, butt, hip flexors, abdominals, back,and shoulders, initiate a sit-up pulling the object in yourhands from above your head to over your chest, and thenroll forward into a squat position.

4. Push through your heels and stand up, extending yourobject of choice overhead while maintaining perfect posture.

5. Sit down and return to the start position.

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6 Weeks to Start Your 6 Pack 35

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36 6 Weeks to Start Your 6 Pack

Squat Power Toss1. Insure that you have room to move without injuring your-

self.

2. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and with perfectposture holding onto a medicine ball or pillow.

3. Drop into a squat position where your knees and butt areabout the same distance off the floor, maintaining your backposture and reaching your ball or pillow down to the floor.

4. Drive off the floor jumping as high as you can, reaching your ball or pillow high above your head.

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6 Weeks to Start Your 6 Pack 37

5. At the apex of each jump, hinge or bend slightly at yourhips and throw your ball or pillow hard onto the floor.

6. Collect your toy and repeat.

Workouts are tougher now and take a little more time. (We didn’t say this was going to be easy.)

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38 6 Weeks to Start Your 6 Pack

WORKOUT WEEK #5—Every Second Day■ Two fifteen-minute or one thirty-minute brisk walk—the

walking is every day!

■ Warm up seven to twelve minutes (you can use yourwalk to warm up).

■ One to two sets of eight to twelve repetitions of exercis-es 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7. One set of fifteen repetitions ofexercises 8 and 9. Take thirty to forty-five secondsbetween each set of the exercises.

Reps are not as important as technique. Can’t maintain theform? Stop. Rest, recover, and move on.

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6 Weeks to Start Your 6 Pack 39

WORKOUT WEEK #6Day 1:

■ Thirty-minute brisk walk.

■ Warm up seven to twelve minutes (you can use yourwalk to warm up).

■ Two sets of twelve to fifteen repetitions of exercises 1, 5,6, 7, and 8.

■ Take thirty to forty-five seconds between each set of theexercises.

Reps are not as important as technique. Can’t maintain theform? Stop. Rest, recover, and move on.

Day 2:

■ Thirty-minute brisk walk.

■ Warm up seven to twelve minutes.

■ Two sets of twelve to fifteen repetitions of exercises 1, 2,3, 4, and 9.

■ Take thirty to forty-five seconds between each set of theexercises.

Reps are not as important as technique. Can’t maintain theform? Stop. Rest, recover, and move on.

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40 6 Weeks to Start Your 6 Pack

There you have it—four chapters and six weeks closer to astronger, more functional abdominal section. This is a develop-ment program, and you are officially, after this program, a workin progress. Stick with Workout Week #6, complete with thirtyminutes of brisk walking daily for another six weeks, and then itis a matter of adding/substituting new exercises into your exist-ing “Set and Repetition structure.” My Web sitewww.petesclass.com has a variety of exercises available fromwhich you would grab two “Lower ab” exercises, three to four“Oblique” exercises, and two “Upper ab” exercises. Work your“Upper” and “Lower” abs one day and your “Obliques” thenext, and then take a day off abdominal training. Keep up thedaily brisk walking or another cardiovascular program for thirtyminutes each and every day, taking off Wednesday and Sunday,if you wish. Thanks for joining me on this journey, and visit meat www.petesclass.com whenever you want to update yourworkout and eating programs or just let me know how your fit-ness quest is unfolding.

Cheers, and see you on the path someday soon.

PETE

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Peter Estabrooks B.P.E.25 years of real fitness,real-life exercise expression

CONCEIVED BY

Paul Estabrooks Ph.D.,Research Scientist,Clinical Research UnitKaiser Permanente-Colorado

APPROVED BY

Kyla Zalapski B.A.Registered HolisticNutritionist specializing infunctional health and fitness

PRACTICED BY

WeeksPackTO START YOUR

“Pete is a trainer for ‘real’ people. His workoutsare varied and challenging—no slacking off andperfect technique demanded. They provide thebenefits I seek through fitness—great arms,great abs, and, most importantly, renewed sanity!The workouts provide a perfect balance of inten-sity and enjoyment—humor being an important,subtle component. Working with Pete constantlyinspires me to be fitter and stronger.”

ALANA KITCHEN

“We started working out with Pete to train for a race. What we got was so much more—leanand efficient bodies, rock hard abs, workouts weactually enjoyed, and the chance to reach a surprising level of fitness. We came to realizethat we had not just trained to run a good racebut learned a new way to excercise that keepsus coming back for more!”

MARCY R. AND HEILA L.

Check outPetesclass.com

for other booksand videos by

Pete Estabrooks