Archive for the tag - ab workout

Get Yours Today: Davey Wavey’s Six Pack Program!

June 17, 2013 By

abs1I have big news!

For the last few weeks, I’ve been hinting at my brand-new workout program. And today, I’m excited to finally launch it! Introducing Davey Wavey’s Six Pack Program.

If you’ve ever wanted a lean and defined core, then you’re not alone. The problem is, most people don’t understand how to make it happen. That’s why I created Davey Wavey’s Six Pack Program. This program and the accompanying workout videos take all the guesswork away!

This program includes:

  • 5 professionally-filmed ab workout videos starring Davey Wavey. You’ll have a different jam-packed, core-carving workout video for each day of the workweek. In fact, you can even watch a free preview below.
  • An e-Book titled Davey Wavey’s Guide to Six Pack Success. Written by Davey Wavey, this guide explains all the six pack secrets - from nutrition and exercises to strategies for success.
  • A slew of bonuses including motivation tips, six pack-friendly meal recipes, tips to stay lean while traveling and healthy smoothie recipes.

As a thank you for being a part of my work, I have a very special discount for you. Use discount code “blog” during checkout to save 25%. This coupon expires June 26 at midnight, so don’t delay. AND, if you order before June 26, you’ll also receive Size Matters: Davey Wavey’s Foolproof Guide to Building Muscle (a $59 value) for free!

(Already have Size Matters and don’t need another copy? Send me an email at [email protected] to get a 50% discount on Davey Wavey’s Six Pack Program.)

It’s time to create the flat, defined stomach and rock-hard abs that you’ve always wanted. Together, let’s do this!

Thanks for including me as part of your fitness journey.

Love,
Davey Wavey

P.S. Remember to use discount code “blog” during checkout to save 25%.  But you better hurry! This special offer ends midnight on June 26.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

5-Minute Killer Lower Ab Workout [Video]

August 10, 2012 By

When I exercise my abs, I usually break the workouts into three different days. On one day, I do an oblique workout. On the second day, I do a more standard ab workout with crunches, etc. On the third day, I do a workout that targets my lower abs.

With just five minutes, I managed to cram a number of great lower abdominal exercise into today’s YouTube video via my Davey Wavey Fitness YouTube channel. Check out the video and make sure you subscribe to my fitness channel!

To download a professionally workout program with three, 15-minute workouts, check out Davey Wavey’s Get Ripped Workout. Use discount code “core” to save 20% during checkout. And for exercise mats or other equipment, check out www.fitness-mad.com.

Filed Under: Abs, Exercises, YouTube Tagged With: , , ,

Six-Pack Tip: Faster Crunches for Ripped Abs.

March 25, 2011 By

Tall, dark and delicious! Can I get an amen?!

I’m about to rock your world with some new research. Sit down for this one.

You’ve probably heard that, when it comes to the speed at which you perform strength training exercises, slower is better. The idea behind slow training seems logical. By going slow, you remove all the momentum from your movements - and so all the tension is directly on your muscles. It seems to make sense, but new research is proving otherwise.

It turns out that super slow training is significantly less effective than traditional training. One study showed slow training strength gains of 15% compared to gains of 39% for traditional training.

But wait, there’s more.

Additional research has been done on the variable of speed in abdominal exercises - and crunches, in particular. Researchers divided participants into 4 groups, and had those groups perform crunches at different speeds (1 crunch per 4 seconds, 1 crunch per 2 seconds, 1 crunch per 1.5 seconds, 1 crunch per 1 second). Turns out, the participants in the fastest group - 1 crunch per 1 second - had the highest amount of muscle activation.

In actuality, the results shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Compare the legs of a marathon runner to the legs of a sprinter. Sprinters, who engage in fast bursts of rapid movement, have very muscular legs.

Of course, this isn’t a green light to rush through all your exercises. But it does mean that increasing the speed at which you crunch can be a good thing. But increase the speed slowly; progressively build up to a faster pace over time. And remember that form shouldn’t be sacrificed for speed!

Filed Under: Abs, Exercises, Tips Tagged With: , , ,

How to Kick-Up Your Ab Workout.

December 22, 2010 By

A lot of people do “more of the same” when performing exercises - and yet are unhappy with the results. Watch this video to change the status quo:

Filed Under: Abs, Tips, YouTube Tagged With: , , ,

How Often Should You Exercise Your Abs?

December 15, 2010 By

Frequency of ab workouts is one of the great fitness debates. There are basically two schools of thought.

One school of thought argues that abs should be exercised everyday. Because our abs are stabilizer muscles, we’re always using them - whether it’s walking down the street, getting out of a car or sitting in a chair. And since our abs are accustomed to this heavy workload, we can train our abs more frequently than we would other muscles.

The other school of thought argues that it’s important to give our abs a day or two to recover. Because ours abs are not fundamentally different than other muscles, we need to let them rebuild and repair - or else we’re limiting our progress and set ourselves up for injury.

I take the middle-ground. I don’t think ab workouts are so much about frequency as intensity. If your ab workout is intense, and if it leaves your muscles feeling sore - then give your abs rest. Never exercise a muscle that is still sore from a previous workout.

Furthermore, for my own workouts, I’ve broken my abs into three parts: obliques (side abs), lower abs, and middle abs/upper abs. One each day, I focus on a different part. If I do my obliques today, I’ll do my lower abs tomorrow - and so on. And if I am sore from a previous ab workout, then I give myself a day of recovery.

How often do you exercise your abs? Let us know in the comments below.

P.S. If you dare, you should try out my 5-minute ab workout!

Filed Under: Abs, Tips Tagged With: , , , ,

Why Your Ab Workout Isn’t Working: 5 Fixes.

October 9, 2010 By

You’ve been doing crunches like it’s your job, but you’re not seeing muscle growth. You’ve been eating healthy, staying super lean and doing lots of cardio - and still, your abs don’t pop like Mario Lopez’s.

So, what are you doing wrong?

One of the biggest mistakes that people make in their ab workouts is a lack of progression. Think about the first time that you bench pressed or did a weighted squat. Over time, you increased the weight - you made it harder - and your muscles responded by developing. The same exact thing happens with your abs, but so many of us are stuck in crunch-ruts and routines that we’ve been performing for years.

If you do more of the same, you’ll get more of the same.

In order to truly build stronger and more developed abs that pop, you’ve got to increase the intensity of your ab workout over time. Here are few ways that you can add progression to your ab workout:

  1. Increase the number of reps. If you normally do 10 of a given ab exercise, bump it up to 15.
  2. Increase the angle. If you do crunches on a decline bench, make the angle of the decline sharper.
  3. Decrease resting time between sets. Normally rest for 45 seconds? Try 30.
  4. Increase the resistance. Incorporate increasingly difficult resistance bands into your exercise, or do crunches with heavier and heavier weight plates. If you use an ab machine, up the ante over time.
  5. Hold the contraction for a few seconds. When you’re fully crunched, hold it for two or three seconds - then release.

In terms of progression, your abs are no different than the rest of your muscles. You need to increase the intensity of your workout consistently and constantly over time in order the more fully develop those muscles.

Questions? Let me know in the comments below.

Filed Under: Abs, Tips Tagged With: , , , ,

How to Get a Six Pack: Are Crunches Enough?

September 17, 2010 By

Sexy? Yes. Worth the effort? You tell me.

Wisdom aside, many people first start working out because they want the almighty six pack. Of course, it’s my hope that these exercisers eventually come to appreciate the much more powerful and transformative benefits of working out, but there’s new denying the ubiquity of the six pack.

In fact, more than 40,000,000 web pages (now 40,000,001) are dedicated to the subject. So what’s the secret to abs of steel? And are crunches enough to carve out a washboard midsection?

The simple answer is it depends.

In terms of effectiveness, crunches and sit-ups are at the top of the list. Researches from Slippery Rock University put many popular ab products to the test and found that we need not waste our money on fancy equipment to activate our abdominal muscles (check out my equipment-free 5-minute ab workout on YouTube). Researches wrote:

For the 8 exercises examined in this study, the Ab-Sling, Ab-Rocket, crunch, and sit-up produced the most muscle activation in URA and LRA, but because participants would neither purchase nor use the Ab-Sling or Ab-Rocket, the sit-up or crunch should be prescribed for rectus abdominis exercise.

That’s good news for our wallets. But are crunches really a magic bullet if you’re going after the superficial Jersey Shore six pack? If you’re naturally very lean, then yes - you can stop right here. But for the rest of us, no.

Here’s the real secret: A powerful workout that incinerates any body fat hiding your abs and a smart but lower (not crazy low) carbohydrate diet.

The good news is that you may already have a six pack. The bad news is that it’s probably comfortably hidden under a layer of body fat. Even a small and healthy layer of body fat will do a good job to hide your abdominal muscles from view. But if a six pack is really your goal and focus (spending that same energy elsewhere may be more rewarding), then you’ll have to step up the cardio and really monitor your eating. Goodbye pizza and pasta and hello up-hill sprinting and intervals!

Sure, they’re sexy. But do you think it’s worth the energy and effort to carve out a six pack? Let me know in the comments below.

Filed Under: Abs Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Best Scientifically Proven Ab Workout Ever!

August 29, 2010 By

For extra motivation (or at least masturbation fodder), print out this picture and tape it to the ceiling above you while performing this workout.

Well, shit… that’s quite a title to live up to. But according to my uncle - and Prevention Magazine - this ab workout lives up to its hype. Over dinner, my uncle told me about the workout. He and his wife have been doing it for a few months, and they’ve seen great results. They’ve both shed a few inches from their midsection and show a lot more definition.

It’s no surprise that they’ve shed a few inches; the workout is fast-paced and it gets your heart pumping. It’s really a cardio workout and ab workout in one.

I tried the routine this morning, and I suspect that I may even be a little sore tomorrow. Since I’m new to the workout, I couldn’t quite hit all the target numbers that you’ll see below. Each exercise contains 3 sets of 50 repetitions. That’s performing 150 instances of each exercise. Yikes! It’s certainly something to work up to.

Without further ado, here’s the “best scientifically proven ab workout ever”:

  • 3 sets of 50 modified crunches. Instead of having your feet flat on the ground, keep your knees bent at a 90 degree angle so that your calves are parallel to the floor. Throughout the exercise, maintain this 90 degree angle (no small feat). Cross your arms high on your chest, just below your neck. Rest 15 seconds between each set of 50.
  • 3 sets of 50 leg lift punches. You’ve probably done a leg lift before. It’s when you lie flat on your back with your legs together. You lift your legs by folding at the pelvis, keeping your back flat on the mat. Try keeping your legs as straight as possible. A normal leg lift would stop here - but we’ve added a punch. Once your legs are perpendicular to the floor, use your abs to “punch” them up towards the ceiling. Your ass will lift off the floor by 3 - 6 inches. Lower your bum back down, and then lower your legs so that they almost - but not quite - touch the floor. Sounds hard enough, right? Wrong! Instead of keeping your hands by your side, reach them over your head and hold onto something that is heavy - like a couch or weight bar. It really focuses the exercise on your abs, and doesn’t let you cheat. Rest 15 seconds between each set of 50. If you can do 150 of these, then you are my new fitness hero in chief.
  • 3 sets of 50 double crunches. Double crunches are one of my favorites - they’re in my 30 minute ab workout as part of Total Body Assault. Basically, you balance on your ass and form a “V” shape with your legs and torso. You flatten the “V” by extending your legs out and by lowering your torso. Then, contract your abs and pull yourself back up into the “V”. It’s basically a crunch from hell. Beginners will want to use their arms and hands for balance by touching the ground as needed, but advanced double crunchers may hold their arms parallel to the floor along the sides of their body, reaching for the toes. Rest 15 seconds between each set of 50.
  • 3 sets of 1-minute modified side planks. Lie on your left side. Pretend that your body is sandwiched between two panes of glass. Stack your left foot on top of your right foot and push yourself up onto your left elbow. Your right arm can lie flat on your side. It should create about 6 - 10 inches of space between your torso’s left side and the mat. Hold this for a minute being careful not to let your butt sag, then repeat on the other side. Do 3 sets of these, resting 15 seconds in between each set. This should bring your abs to the point of failure.

Fear not if you can’t do the full 50 in each set. I found the leg lift punches really, really hard. Modify the workout for your ability. And build up from there.

The workout gives a lot of practical core strength that is incredibly useful in other exercises, and life in general. Enjoy it!

Totally confused? Let me know in the comments below. Would you rather me make YouTube video of this workout? I can do that - just let me know what you want. 🙂

Filed Under: Abs Tagged With: , , , ,

Revealed: Davey Wavey’s Workout Routine.

August 25, 2010 By

Curious to know how I hit the gym? I don’t mind sharing my secrets 😛

First, keep in mind that our goals probably aren’t the same (I focus heavily on arms) - and neither are our bodies. Having said that, I divide my routine into four days. Each workout takes about 90 minutes - maybe a tad more. I exercise six days a week.

Day 1:

  • 3.75 miles on the treadmill @ 9.5 miles per hour. Takes about 30 minutes with warm-up and cool-down.
  • 20 minutes of abs (I switch between lower abs, obliques (side abs) and general core). Watch a 5-minute version of my ab workout.
  • 25 minutes of chest exercises: 4 sets on bench press; 4 sets on incline bench press; 4 sets on decline bench press; 4 sets on pec fly machine; 4 sets of pec fly with dumbbells; push-ups, if time.
  • 15 minutes of shoulder exercises: 4 sets each of 3 different shoulder cable exercises; 4 sets of shoulder press with dumbbells; 4 sets of shoulder rotation exercise.
  • 5 minutes on elliptical or stairmaster.

Day 2:

  • 15 minutes of sprinting on treadmill. I do 90 seconds at 7.7 miles per hour and then 60 seconds at 11.3 miles per hour. I repeat this cycle until my 15 minutes is complete. Takes about 20 - 25 minutes with warm-up and cool-down.
  • 20 minutes of abs (either lower abs, obliques (side abs) or general core).
  • 35 minutes of back exercises: 4 sets on lat pull down machine, 4 sets of dead lifts (occasionally), 4 sets on hyperextension machine with weights; 4 sets of barbell rows; 4 sets of t-bar rows (occasionally); 4 sets of reverse flies; 4 sets on back extension machine. I really tend to switch my back workouts up, by these are some of the main exercises that I use.
  • 10 minutes of forearm exercises: 4 sets each of various forearm cable exercises; 4 sets of dumbbell forearm curls.
  • 1-mile run (6.5 minutes) at 9.5 miles per hour.

Day 3:

  • 3.75 miles on the treadmill @ 9.5 miles per hour. Takes about 30 minutes with warm-up and cool-down.
  • 20 minutes of abs (either lower abs, obliques (side abs) or general core).
  • 25 minutes of leg exercises: 4 sets of squats; 4 sets of squat variations; 4 sets of calf raises; 4 sets each of various leg machines.
  • 15 minutes of triceps exercises: 4 sets of overhead triceps extensions; 4 sets of triceps dips; 4 sets of triceps pull-down on cable machine.
  • 5 minutes on elliptical or stairmaster.

Day 4:

  • 15 minutes of sprinting on treadmill. I do 90 seconds at 7.7 miles per hour and then 60 seconds at 11.3 miles per hour. I repeat this cycle until my 15 minutes is complete.
  • 20 minutes of abs (either lower abs, obliques (side abs) or general core).
  • 40 minutes of bicep exercises: 12 sets of various bicep curls and variations; 4 sets of bicep curls on cable machine; 4 sets of pull-ups; 4 sets of bicep curls with barbell.
  • 1-mile run (6.5 minutes) at 9.5 miles per hour.

The weight and number of reps in each exercise varies depending on my goals for that muscle group. I don’t want my tits to get any larger, so I focus on lower weights and higher repetitions. I am building my back muscles, on the other hand, so I do fewer reps with heavier weights.

Keep in mind that I’ve been working out for more than a decade. I certainly wouldn’t recommend trying my routine if you’re just starting out. Work up to it. Moreover, it may not be realistic for you. I’m a personal trainer - this is what I do. Fitness is a huge part of my life.

Let me know what you think in the comments below - I’m always happy to field your questions.

Filed Under: Arms, Back, Biceps, Cardio, Chest, Forearms, Legs, Shoulders, Tips, Triceps Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

INSANE Abs in 5 Minutes! [video]

July 23, 2010 By

Want a crazy insane ab workout that takes just 5 minutes?

I pushed my limits and recorded this 5 minute ab workout to leave you sore and sweaty. All you’ll need is a yoga mat or towel - and, of course, five minutes.

The full, 30-minute ab workout is available as part of my Total Body Assault fitness program.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Abs, YouTube Tagged With: , , , , ,