I decided to make a series of videos focusing on Core and Ab exercises due to all of the questions I receive on the subject of getting a flatter stomach or six pack. To get a flatter stomach takes work and it doesn’t come over night. If you’re serious about getting a flat stomach the first thing you need to do is eat right. A lot of people think that you have to starve yourself to do this. The answer is: No, I don’t starve I enjoy my food and drink just like everyone else. However I moderate what I eat and when I eat it. A great book that has solid principles of how to develop a good mentality, eating and exercise habits is
Tom Venuto’s  “The Body Fat Solution”.

The second part is card. Cardio burns calories pure and simple it doesn’t necessarily sculpt muscles. Cardio can be anything that gets the heart rate up and you burning calories. Some examples are running, boxing, karate and walking.  Personally I walk between five to eight miles five days a week, train in Karate, hit the heavy bag and circuit train.  The third part is Core exercises, learn the muscles that make up your Core.
The Core is made of major muscles included are the pelvic floor muscles, transversus abdominis, multifidus, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis, erector spinae (sacrospinalis) especially the longissimus thoracis, and the diaphragm. Minor core muscles include the latissimus dorsi, gluteus maximus, and trapezius. ( Source Wikipedia ) To summarize the previous all the muscles between your neck and your hips are your core muscles. The core is the major foundation for a strong body. It is a major factor in getting and maintaining a flat stomach or the much desired six pack. Personally this is the only time in my life I have ever seen my six pack.

Core and Abs will be a series of videos that I will shoot on a continual basis.  Each video will contain between 5 to 6 exercises that you can use in your regular workout or create a routine with.

This video covers the 5 exercises that I use regularly combined within routines and within my own core workouts.

1. Around the world – Shoulder and Core
2. Straight Bicep curl – Arm and Core
3. Ab Roll Out – Abs and Core
4. Shoulder Push Press – Shoulder and Core
5. Plank – Abs and Core

Here is an example of how to use these exercises within your routine and as a workout on their own.

Workout your Core and Abs between 2 to 3 times a week.
AROUND THE WORLD & SHOULDER PUSH PRESS
CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO YOUR SHOULDER WORKOUT
3 TO 4 SETS / 10 TO 12 REPS
USE A WEIGHT YOU CAN COMPLETE ALL SETS WITH

STRAIGHT ARM BICEP CURL
CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO YOUR ARM WORKOUT
3 TO 4 SETS / 10 TO 12 REPS
USE A WEIGHT YOU CAN COMPLETE ALL SETS WITH

Core workout 1 example.
Add this to the end of your regular workout routine.

Do this in circuit training format:
Circuit training is when you complete one exercise then proceed to the next exercise.

Straight bar Bicep curl – 10 to 12 reps
Rest 15 seconds
move on to next exercise

Ab Roll Out – 10 to 12 reps rest 15 seconds –
move on to next exercise

Shoulder Push Press or Around the world – 10 to 12 reps
Rest 15 seconds
move on to next exercise

Plank – hold position for one minute
Rest 30 seconds and repeat circuit

Stay tuned for more Core and Abs exercises videos.

One in six American employees are so overloaded they can’t even use their annual vacation time. Yet according to a study from the Families and Work Institute, 21 percent of people who are highly overworked experience symptoms of clinical depression.
I would suggest taking off a sick day that coincides with a weekend.

Eggs (and we’re not talking just the whites).
You probably knew the whites are high in protein, but the yolks are one of the best sources of choline, a nutrient that’s essential for heart and brain function. Try to crack open a half dozen each week.

Booze
Limit your alcohol intake to one drink a day; two or more can increase your risk for dementia later in life. After you’ve downed your daily allowance of tequila sunrises, try nipping an unsweetened iced tea instead.

Brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash Yes, again. On nights when you’d rather just collapse into bed, chew on this: According to an article in the The Journal of the American Dental Association, your mouth harbors 400 to 800 species of bacteria–and they’re making a beeline for your tooth enamel.

Turn off the TV and close your laptop an hour before bed. The glowing screens emit a blue light that keeps you up by suppressing melatonin, a hormone that regulates your body clock.

Crank Corinne Bailey Rae, take a warm bath, or slurp a cup of herbal tea: Calming pre-bed rituals like these can help you decompress both mentally and physically. Do them every night and they’ll start to cue your brain that it’s snooze time, making you nod off faster.

Set your coffeemaker Java is the No. 1 source of cancer-fighting antioxidants in our diets, and studies show that a good brew can help you perform better on tests that measure concentration, memory, and learning and even help protect against ovarian cancer. Limit yourself to two or three cups a day–or decaf–to avoid jitters and late nights staring at the ceiling.

Work out before work
Early workouts are easier to squeeze into your hectic schedule, and they save you the need to shower twice. That saves up to 72 gallons of water each year. And the good news continues: Studies also show that AM exercisers are more likely to stick with the program than those who hit the gym later in the day.

Unplug
Researchers from the University of Minnesota found that people who spent five or more hours of free time each day working on the computer, watching TV, or playing video games exercised 11 fewer minutes a day than people who didn’t. Pulling the plug may help you downsize not only your ass but your carbon footprint too: 25 to 40 percent of all electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are plugged in but switched off.

Mash up your workouts
Logging 20 minutes on the elliptical, then 20 minutes in the weight room, then 10 minutes on a yoga mat may sound like a kick-ass workout, but it doesn’t mimic how we use our bodies in the real world. (Shoving that heavy box of winter boots into the upper reaches of your closet, for example, requires you to use balance, flexibility, and strength…at the same time). So make your workouts like your favorite DJ Shadow CD and mix them up: Try a short burst of cardio exercise, then jump right into a quick power strength move, immediately followed by a flexibility drill. Repeat. You’ll see results sooner.

Add intervals to your cardio
Interval training (alternating short bursts of high-intensity activity with lower-intensity activity) has been proven to fry body fat and boost cardiovascular fitness more quickly than working out at a constant, moderate pace. Try a 30-second sprint for every five minutes of treadmill time, or in the pool, one lap of speed after a few laps of slower strokes.

Reach for it
If you spend your days stuck in Cubeville (Population: You), you’re losing mobility, and that sets you up for muscle strains and tears when you finally get out from behind the desk. Your hamstrings, calves, and pectoral (chest) muscles tend to be the most drum-tight. Abide by the wisdom of the American College of Sports Medicine and stretch them out two to three days a week. Aim for four 10- to 30-second reps per muscle group.

Sidestep knee injuries
Studies show that women are more likely than men to be weak in the knees. Your joint-saving solution: hips of steel. The stronger you make the muscles around your hips, the better you can control your femur (the thigh bone), which helps stabilize your knee. One easy hip-strengthening move: Tie a resistance band around your ankles, squat slightly and step side to side with as wide a stride as you can manage.

A multivitamin
While national surveys show that up to 80 percent of Americans think they eat well, only 1 percent actually meet minimum standards for a balanced diet. Choose a multi that contains at least 100 percent of the daily value of vitamins A, C, and E and folic acid.

Vitamin D
Studies show that popping 1,000 IU each day cuts your risk of breast and ovarian cancers in half.

Fish oil
Your breath may smell like the seafood counter at Kroger for a while, but these gill pills work wonders on the body–inside and out. Fish oil not only keeps your skin and hair healthy but also reduces the risk of heart disease and helps squelch inflammation. Experts suggest one gram per day.

Munch wet snacks, not dry ones Water-rich, fiber-packed foods like fresh fruit, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, corn on the cob, broth-based soup, or baked potatoes pack fewer calories into bigger servings so you feel full on less. On the flip side, dry foods like chips, crackers, candy, bagels, pretzels, and granola bars cram lots of calories into itty-bitty servings. Can you say snack attack?

Toss salads with Romaine, not iceberg. It may not provide the same satisfying crunch, but the darker leafy green has twice the fiber, B vitamins, folic acid, calcium, and potassium and seven times the vitamins A and C of iceberg.

Sip a skim latte, not black coffee Studies show that caffeine may contribute to osteoporosis by increasing calcium loss. But you can sidestep this risk by adding milk to your brew: Even two tablespoons will offset the negative effects on calcium. Sneaky, eh?

Drink coffee, tea, and red wine between meals, not during them These beverages all contain tannins, which compromise your body’s ability to absorb iron from food.

Use regular, not antibacterial, soap It KOs just as many germs, and some scientists argue that using too many antibacterial cleansers may tamper with the effectiveness of some antibiotics.

5 star workout that is efficient and aggressive.
All it takes is 30 to 40 minutes of your time.
Men’s Fitness “Perfect” Program Developed by Chad Waterbury -
Want size, strength and killer abs? The “Perfect” workout is for you. Combination of exercises that will make your core scream and your muscle sore. Circuit training combined with straight set exercises makes a killer workout with combos that  brings the science of the working out to life. I gave this routine 5 out of 5 stars because of it’s intensity, mental and physical challenge.
Try it and see for yourself.

Frequency:
Perform each workout 1, 2 and 3 with a least a day of rest between each workout.

Workout 1:

1 – Front Squat – Sets 6 Reps 3
Use the heaviest weight possible complete all sets before moving on to the next exercise.

Circuit 1:
2a -Wide Grip Pull Up
Sets 4 – Complete as many as you can with in your 10 RM ( Rep Max)
Perform 1 set Rest 30 seconds move  to Dip.

2b- Dip
Sets 4 – Complete as many as you can with in your 10 RM ( Rep Max)
Perform 1 set Rest 30 seconds move  to Dumbbell RDL.

2c-Dumbbell RDL
Sets 4 – Complete as many as you can with in your 10 RM ( Rep Max)
Perform 1 set Rest 30 seconds go back to Wide Grip Pull Up.

Circuit 2:
3a- Medicine Ball Squat Thrust / Press
Sets 5 – Perform for 30 seconds
Rest – 15 seconds move to Dumbbell Swing

3b- Dumbbell Swing
Sets 5 – Perform for 30 seconds
Rest – 15 seconds move to Medicine Ball Squat Thrust / Press

Workout 2:

1 – Hang Snatch  – Sets 6 Reps 3
Use the heaviest weight possible complete all sets before moving on to the next exercise.

Circuit 1:
2a -One Arm Row
Sets 4 – Complete as many as you can with in your 10 RM ( Rep Max)
Perform 1 set Rest 30 seconds move  to Dumbbell Chest Press.

2b- Dumbbell Chest Press ( Cable Chest Press if you have cables)
Sets 4 – Complete as many as you can with in your 10 RM ( Rep Max)
Perform 1 set Rest 30 seconds move  to Single Leg Dumbbell Deadlift.

2c-Single Leg Dumbbell Deadlift
Sets 4 – Complete as many as you can with in your 10 RM ( Rep Max)
with each leg. Perform 1 set Rest 30 seconds go back  to One Arm Row.

Circuit 2:
3a- Jump Squat
Sets 5 – Perform for 30 seconds
Rest – 15 seconds move to Medicine Ball Slam

3b- Medicine Ball Slam
Sets 5 – Perform for 30 seconds
Rest – 15 seconds go back to Jump Squat

Workout 3:

1 – Snatch Grip Deadlift  – Sets 6 Reps 3
Use the heaviest weight possible complete all sets before moving on to the next
exercise.

Circuit 1:
2a -Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Sets 4 – Complete as many as you can with in your 10 RM ( Rep Max)
Perform 1 set Rest 30 seconds move  to Chin Up.

2b- Chin Up
Sets 4 – Complete as many as you can with in your 10 RM ( Rep Max)
Perform 1 set Rest 30 seconds move  to Bulgarian Split Squat

2c-Bulgarian Split Squat
Sets 4 – Complete as many as you can with in your 10 RM ( Rep Max) with each leg.
Perform 1 set Rest 30 seconds move on to Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Circuit 2:
3a- Dumbbell Chop
Sets 5 – Perform for 30 seconds
Rest – 15 seconds move to Split Jumping Jack

3b- Split Jumping Jacks
Sets 5 – Perform for 30 seconds
Rest – 15 seconds move to Dumbbell Chop

Men’s Health has great content is well written and provides it’s readers with a all
around health advice. But man the site “sucks”.  I  prefer the magazine over the
site any day. The content on the site is truly hard to navigate .
I subscribe to Men’s Health Eat this, Not that email newsletter which gives you some teaser content than drive you to their site to learn more.  I found this email to  be partially interesting because I am always looking for advice on food. 12 Foods for 6-Pack Abs hey I am all about maintaing what I have worked so hard for. When I went to the site I was confused on how navigate  through the content. Some one thought that it  would be cute to design a navigation based on “ABS DIET POWER” phrase. Each letter in the phrase is associated with a piece of content. ie A is for “ALMONDS”.Awwwee that is so cute, last time I checked  nursery school was out. Despite the pain in the ass content the content was worth dealing with the nursery navigation.

Below is a list of the 12 food all with different properties that will help you with your
6 pack mission.

“A” Almonds -
“B” Beans and other legumes
“S” Spinach
“D” Dairy
“I” Instant Oatmeal
“E” Eggs
“T” Turkey and other lean meats
“P” Peanut Butter
“O” Olive oil
“W” Whole-Grain Breads and Cereal
“E” Extra- Protein Powder
“R” Raspberries and other berries

To get the reasons why, recipes and advice on each food click here.