Hard Core

When it comes to strength we are nothing without a strong foundation. You may have the arms to lift 200 lbs over your head, but if your core can't support it, it's not going to happen.

You have to get strong from the interior and work your way out. Strengthen up those postural muscles, mid and low back, glutes, obliques, and of corse abs.

Now in addition to wanting to be healthy, strong, and fit, feel free to do this for the pure vanity of it as well. If you're happy with how you look, you will feel better about yourself, and carry yourself with a better attitude and more confidence. You'll be nicer to your girlfriend/boyfriend (husband/wife) parents, dog, the people at the bank, and even door-to-door salesmen trying to sell you knife sets, and that won't be hurting anyone.

As with anything else, when working to strengthen that mid-line, you must dedicate some time and choose the proper exercises and use the correct form.

Stick with exercises that challenge you, also exercises that you feel working the areas that you are trying to target. If someone shows you some kick-ass oblique move and you try it and your shoulders are burning, you might want to put that one on the shelf for a while.

FOR YOUR LOWER BACK AND GLUTES concentrate on "supermans." Try 10 using just your upper body, 10 with just your legs, and 10 with both sides at the same time.


FOR OBLIQUES a well-executed side plank usually does the trick. Just remember to keep your hips as high in the air as possible the entire time. Try to hold it for a minute without taking a break.

FOR YOUR ABS try some hanging leg raises. This is an especially difficult exercise. You should start with 1-2 sets of 10, see how you feel the next day, and if you aren't so sore that you can't laugh, then you can try upping the sets or rep scheme.

You can Google or search YouTube for any of these exercises, and you will get plenty of video demonstrations; and if you sit tight I will eventually post instructional videos on all of these exercises, and then some. Either way this should be enough to get you started down the path toward a "situation" stomach.


Get after it people, embrace the burn!