Strong To The Core of Your Being

By Nick Nilsson

Dramatically improve sports and weightlifting performance and say
goodbye to lower back pain! Plus, you'll learn two exercises
you can do at home that directly target the muscles of the core.

If you were to ask me which muscle group in your entire body you could work to get the greatest benefits in the shortest amount of time, I would tell you without hesitation, "the core." Strengthening the core can realize tremendous benefits to anyone regardless of his or her training experience and can do so very quickly.

But what is the core?

The core, as it's known in strength training circles, consists of all the muscles in your abdominal and lower back areas. This includes all the abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus, internal and external obliques, transverse abdominus and intercostals) as well as the muscles associated with the spine (the erector spinae group) and the hip flexors (iliacus and psoas, collectively known as the iliopsoas).

These muscles all work in harmony to provide stabilization for your body and to transfer power from the legs to the upper body and vice versa. The core muscles also function to keep your insides in, where they belong!

And why is strengthening the core so important?

Weak core muscles contribute to all kinds of problems in the body, the most prevalent of which is lower back pain. By strengthening the muscles that help support the spine and improve posture, you can dramatically decrease the symptoms of lower back pain.

Picture your spine as a column of soda cans stacked one on top of the other. If you wanted to keep that column standing up under stress, what do you think would work better: a "tenser" bandage (as is used for wrapping injured ankles) or Scotch tape? Sure the tape would keep the cans together but the cans wouldn't receive a whole lot support, would they?

When you strengthen the muscles of the core, you are in effect turning that Scotch tape into a nice, tight "tenser" bandage, increasing the amount of support that your spine gets.

Core training also has the potential to greatly improve sports performance. Watch a baseball pitcher throw a pitch in slow motion. The power of the throw starts at the legs, gets transferred through the abdominal area (a.k.a. the core) then ends up in the arm where the ball is released. Imagine how much speed and power would be lost from that throw if the core muscles couldn't efficiently transfer the force from the legs to the throwing arm.

The core is the one area of the body that will always give you a great return on your investment.

So how do I train my core muscles?

Exercises that work the abdominals and the lower back are the staples of core training. Also, exercises that target the stabilization and power-transfer duties of the core muscles are very effective.

The most basic abdominal training exercise is the standard crunch. You can go to the following URL to see the proper technique for this exercise:

Standard Crunch

But I've got an exercise for you that blows the standard crunch right out of the water. The equipment required for this exercise: one rolled-up towel.

The exercise is known as the Abdominal Sit-Up. It uses a sit-up-like movement but focuses directly on the abdominal muscles rather than the hip flexors (which a regular sit-up does). It is also very safe for your lower back. Another advantage it has over the standard crunch is that it targets the stretched (arched back) range of motion of the abs, which is totally missed in standard floor crunch.

How To Do It:

Lie on your back on the floor. Roll up a towel or mat and slip it underneath your lower back, just above the waistband (the size of the towel affects your body position during this movement – use a fairly large towel).

Your knees should be bent about 90 degrees. Keep your feet close together and knees fairly wide apart. This prevents the hip flexors from having a direct line of pull, helping to minimize their involvement.

Do not anchor your feet or have someone hold them down. This automatically activates the hip flexors. You will get the most out of this exercise by minimizing their involvement.

The difficulty of this exercise depends on where you hold your hands. The hardest position is above your head at arms-length, then beside your head, then across your chest, then straight down between your legs or at your sides. Start with the easiest first then progress to the other positions as you get stronger.

You are now ready to begin.

• Keeping your torso straight and stiff, start the sit-up by  tightening your lower abs then lifting your upper body off the  floor.
• As you continue up, imagine trying to push your face up  against the ceiling (think up, not around).
• When you reach about 25 to 30 degrees above horizontal, hold  there for a second or two and squeeze your abs hard.
• Keep your lower back in contact with the towel at all times  and always maintain tension in the abs.
• Lower yourself down slowly and under control. Do not just drop  back to the ground. The negative portion of this exercise is  extremely effective.
• Remember to adjust your arm position depending on the strength  of your abs (see above).

You can see pictures of how this exercise is done by going to:

Better Crunch

Incline Ab Sit-Ups

If you are a beginning trainer, this is a good starting variation of the Abdominal Sit-up.

Set an incline sit-up board to a slight incline. If you don't have an incline sit-up board, you can use an adjustable incline bench, a decline bench, a Step platform with a riser under one of the ends or a flat bench with something under one end. You can even use a propped-up 2 x 6 board!

Your head should be on the higher end with your feet placed on the floor.

The execution is exactly the same. The only difference is that the tension on the abs is much less due to the greatly improved leverage in this position, allowing even people feel that their abs aren't strong enough to do the exercise.

Lying Superman Raises – An Exercise For The Lower Back

Though this exercise has a rather unique name, it is an excellent strengthening exercise for the lower back that you can do almost anywhere.

How To Do It:

Lie face down on the floor with your arms stretched out directly overhead (like Superman flying, hence the name).

Raise your left arm and right leg into the air at the same time, also raising your chest slightly off the floor. Hold there for a second and squeeze the muscles of your lower back. Lower your limbs back to the ground then raise your right arm and left leg and hold for a second. You can push down with the hand that is on the ground to help raise your other arm and chest higher off the ground.

This exercise, even though it only uses your limbs as resistance, provides an excellent way to strengthen the lower back muscles.

Conclusion:

These two exercises will give you a good place to start with core training. You can begin improving your core strength by doing these exercises 3 times a week for 2 to 3 sets each. Make core training a priority in your exercise routine and you will rapidly reap the benefits of having a stronger, more injury-proof midsection and back.

——————

Nick Nilsson has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been innovating new training techniques for more than 18 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding books including "Muscle Explosion! 28 Days To Maximum Mass", "Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of", all designed to maximize the results you get for the hard work you put into your training.

Be sure to grab your FREE copy of Nick's 30-day "Dirty Little Secret Program for Building Muscle and Burning Fat FAST," available at BetterU!

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Triple Add Sets – A Revolutionary New Intensity Technique That Will Work ALL Your Muscle Fibers In One Set!

Normal sets only work a select tye and number of muscle fibers. Find out how the Triple Add Set technique can work EVERY muscle fiber you've got in a single set.

Looking for a new challenge in your workouts? The Triple Add Set is just what you need. It is very a tough intensity technique, but it is extremely effective. The Triple Add Set will strongly work all three of the major muscle fiber types (I, IIa, and IIb) in one extended set, pushing the very limits of your body's strength and endurance. If this sounds good to you, you're going to love this technique!

To fully understand the effectiveness of the Triple Add Set, let's take a look at the muscle fiber types and why it's such a good thing to work all three of the major types at once.

- Type I muscle fibers are endurance-oriented muscle fibers. They primarily work in higher rep ranges and during aerobic exercise.

- Type IIa muscle fibers work when the weight used is moderate-to-heavy. This fiber type is most active in moderate rep range weight training (e.g. 5 to 10 reps per set)

- Type IIb muscle fibers are the explosive muscle fibers. They are called upon when the weight is very heavy and great power or explosiveness is needed.

When you lift a weight, your body recruits a certain number of muscle fibers to get the job done. It recruits a certain percentage of each type of fiber, depending on how heavy the load is. For instance, the lighter the load, the more Type I fibers will be called upon. The heavier the load, the more Type IIa fibers will be called upon. With very heavy loads, Type IIb fibers will be the most heavily recruited.

With regular training, your body learns to become more efficient with this recruitment and tries to get away with firing as few fibers as possible to get the job done. It's the body's natural tendency to conserve energy.

Unfortunately, this also leaves many muscle fibers underworked and not developed to their full potential. We need to find a way to force your body to recruit every available fiber to maximally work the muscle and develop it to it's full potential. That's where the Triple Add Set comes in.

If you're familiar with Triple Drop Sets (where you start with a heavy weight for the first part, then drop to a lighter weight for more reps then drop to a somewhat lighter weight for more reps to finish with) then you're familiar with the basic idea of this style of training.

However, here's the switch: instead of starting with a heavy weight and working down, we're going to start with a light weight and work our way up!

The Triple Add Set technique will first exhaust your Type I muscle fibers with light weights and high reps.

Then it will work on the Type IIa muscle fibers by moving to heavier weights and moderate reps. Since Type I fibers are still being activated at this point, even though the weights are heavier, your body will recruit more and more of those Type I fibers as you keep going.

On the third and final part of the set, very heavy weights will be used. Your Type IIb fibers will now be preferentially activated. But now, because the load is extremely demanding, your Type I fibers and even more of your Type IIa fibers are being recruited to help.

By the time you're done with the Triple Add Set, you've recruited almost every available muscle fiber in the target muscle. Then we do one or two more sets just to be sure they're completely worked!

How To Do It:

- Start with a light weight and do a high-rep set, e.g. 20 to 30 reps. Your muscles will be burning. This will hit the Type I endurance muscle fibers and fill the target muscles with blood.

- Rest 10 seconds to flush out enough of the waste products that have accumulated in your muscles for you to keep going. This is basically the time it takes to switch weights on the machine or grab a new set of dumbells, take a few deep breaths and jump back in.

- Next, you'll move on to a somewhat heavier weight and aim for about 6 to 8 reps. This will hit the Type IIa muscle fibers (the moderate-to-heavy oriented fibers).

- Take 10 seconds rest again.

- After that, you will do your last set with a heavy weight, going for only 1 to 3 reps. This will work on strength and connective tissue while focusing on the Type IIb muscle fibers (the very heavy and explosive fibers).

- Your muscles will feel incredibly hard and pumped up. The effect of this type of training is immediately noticeable and very powerful.

It will take a little practice to figure out what weights you'll be using. It will really depend on how well your body deals with lactic acid build-up. This is a training stimulus your body will most likely NEVER have experienced before.

The first part of the set should use a very light weight. Go for strict form and go for the burn. The first time through you should get at least 20 to 30 reps.

On the second Add Set, your reps will go down significantly as the waste products of the first set will not have been completely cleared.

The second Add Set should use about double what you used on the first set, e.g. start with 25 pound dumbells then do 50 pound dumbells (this increase will vary a lot depending on the exercise – experiment with the weights you use to find out what works for you).

The third and final part of the set is the hardest. Since you've already worked hard on the previous two parts, you will be using a weight that is lighter than what you'd normally use for this rep range in regular sets. When you do the third part, you will feel an extremely strong and deep burning in the muscles. You are tapping muscle fibers that have rarely been worked! The first two Add Sets worked the majority of your muscle fibers – every fiber you've got now has to kick in and fire to move the weight in the third Add Set!

It's extremely hard and extremely effective. You'll either love it or dread it but it works!

These are Triple Add Sets. Pick an exercise and give this technique a try the next chance you get. You will be amazed at the incredible burning and pump that results from this unique training stimulus!

The Triple Add Set is only one of the many innovative exercise techniques you'll find in my new ebook "Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss." This book is all about how to lose fat as quickly as possible while keeping and even BUILDING muscle mass.

Click this link now to find out more!

Metabolic Surge

——————

Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 18 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including "Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and "Specialization Training," all available at (BetterU). He can be contacted at betteru@fitstep.com.

——————

Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss

A Fat-Loss Program That Actually Allows You To Build Strength AND Muscle? How Is That Possible?

It's possible with a scientifically-designed program that harnesses and applies the real power of your own natural metabolism.

With the right training and nutrition, your body is fully capable of building muscle even when on a fat-loss program. You see, your body reacts to certain nutrients and certain training styles in very predictable ways.

By exploiting your body's natural reactions, the right program not only maximizes the positive fat-burning and muscle-building effects of Growth Hormone, it also maximizes the anabolic effects of Insulin while minimizing Insulin's possible negative impact on fat burning.

It's a combination that has the potential to transform your body in a remarkably short period of time!

Let me put it this way – if I only had one program that I could do for the rest of my life, this program would be it.

Click here right now to learn about a groundbreaking new program that does exactly this!

Metabolic Surge

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Fat-Loss Circuit Training – Now is the time to try this revolutionary fat-burning, metabolism-boosting training technique!

Experience a training technique so powerful you can literally FEEL your metabolism firing up and burning fat!

Want to burn off that holiday weight gain as quickly as humanly possible? Fat-Loss Circuit Training is the BEST place to start.

Fat-Loss Circuit Training is a program of my own invention. I developed it for losing fat quickly. It's challenging but very effective!

It's also one of the core components of my extremely powerful "Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss" program available here:

http://best-exercises.com/go/metabolic-surge/

Fat-Loss Circuit Training is very simple once you get the hang of it, but it can be one of the most demanding (and most extraordinarily effective) styles of training you can do.

If you're familiar with normal circuit training (with timed, light-weight intervals), please put aside any notions you might have of how this program works. You will not only be harnessing the muscle-building and metabolism-stimulating power of intense, full-set weight training (NOT the typical light-weight, timed intervals of normal circuit training), you will also be incorporating the great calorie-burning effects of cardiovascular training.

The proper combination of the two styles (weights and cardio) into one workout is, quite simply, phenomenal for fat burning.

In order to use Fat-Loss Circuit Training, you will need access to both weight equipment and cardio equipment (and/or benches or stairs), preferably located in fairly close proximity to each other.

This type of training is harder to do in a crowded gym as it will involve you moving back and forth quickly between different pieces of equipment. If someone is waiting to use your cardio machine the moment you step off, it will defeat the purpose of the workout. This technique is best used in a fairly uncrowded gym where you have more freedom to use equipment or, better yet, in a home gym with weights and cardio equipment and no one waiting for anything!

If you do work out in a crowded gym, I will tell you exactly how to get around it.

How The Training Works:

- Essentially, this is combined circuit/interval training.

- You will be going back and forth between your weight training exercises and one cardio exercise for the duration of the workout.

- Your rest period for weights will be your cardio and your rest period for cardio will be your weights.

- You will be doing some sort of activity for your entire workout without any break!

This combination is very effective for a number of reasons:

- It forces your body to burn calories continuously during the workout.

- It utilizes resistance training and cardio training so you get all the benefits of both in one workout.

- By forcing your body to work like this, you dramatically increase your metabolism leading to increased fat burning long after the workout (more so than either weights or cardio alone).

- It saves time – you get both your weights and cardio in the same amount of time as your regular workout.

- You will still be able to use heavy weights in your weight training, helping to preserve muscle mass.

How To Do It:

Step 1 – Set Up

For the most efficient workout possible, try to have most or all of your exercises pre-set and ready to go. The less time you spend on preparation during your workout itself, the more effective that workout will be, especially since you want to be continually active throughout the workout. You can use any type of cardio that is convenient and enjoyable to you, be it a machine, stair stepping, or even a skipping rope.

If you are working out in a crowded gym, try to claim an area for yourself and focus on dumbell exercises. You won't have to wait in line to use any weight machines that way.

If you don't have access to convenient cardio machines, you're going to have to go low-tech. You'll need to do stair- stepping (stepping up two stairs then back down works well), bench-stepping (step up onto a flat bench or Step platform then back down) or rope-jumping (be sure you're not close to anyone if you choose this). These approaches work just as well as cardio machines and allow you to perform this training style in a busier setting.

If the stair-stepping method is what you need to use, have a look at the stepping pattern demonstrated on the following page:

http://best-exercises.com/go/metabolic-surge-stair-step

Step 2 – Warm-up

Do a few minutes of low-intensity cardio as a warm-up. You may wish to do a few light sets of a few of the exercises you'll be working with before you start into it though. Don't tire yourself out, just get a light sweat going.

Step 3 – Start with 30 – 40 seconds of moderate intensity cardio.

This could be setting a stair machine to a level that is not easy but is not so challenging that you're going to exhaust yourself right away. Watch the timer on your machine and go for approximately 40 seconds (I say approximately because there will generally be a slight lag time when you step on and off).

Many cardio machines have a "rest period" feature where you can leave the machine on and it will not erase your program while you have stepped off. Normally, this is about 2 minutes. This should be enough time to complete your weight set.

If you are using a machine such as a treadmill or stair machine that you will leave on with the timer running, just watch the time counter on the machine and keep track of when you get on it to get the designated period. It may require a little mental math! You can also use your own stopwatch or timer on your watch to keep track (this is easier). Start the timer when you start the cardio.

Many machines also have a feature that runs through a series of time periods. I've found on the StairMaster, if you set the length of the session to 20 minutes, this results in a 40 second time period making it perfect for judging your cardio periods.

Step 4 – Do a set of weights.

Go as quickly as you can to your first exercise. Do a set of the first exercise on your program for the day. Do this with no rest, going from the cardio immediately to the weights. Do all your reps until you start to approach muscular failure.

While this is definitely still intense weight training, don't push yourself to muscular failure as you would in your regular training. Due to the high training volume we'll be doing in this program, pushing to failure on every set will compromise muscle recovery.

Also, be very sure to use proper form and tempo when lifting the weights. Don't rush your weight sets – perform them with the same form and speed as you would if you were doing a regular set in your training. Fast, light or sloppy weight sets are NOT what we're looking for here.

Step 5 – Go right back to the cardio.

Get back to the cardio and do another 40 seconds of moderate-intensity cardio.

Step 6 – Repeat the cycle for the duration of the workout.

You will be going back and forth continuously between cardio and your weight training exercises, using the cardio as the rest period between your weight sets. What this means is that over the course of your workout, you'll be burning calories via cardio and weights AND you'll be working your muscles with intense, heavy weight training as well. It's tough training but very effective!

Notes:

- As you improve your cardio ability, you can choose to increase the intensity of your cardio training between sets. You may wish to start at a lower level and gradually increase the resistance over the course of the workout or start at a higher level and keep it there. It is perfectly acceptable to keep it at a steady, moderate level, however.

- This Fat-Loss Circuit technique can be used with nearly any form of cardio exercise as long as it is convenient to go back and forth with the weights. The real key here is to maintain activity for the entire workout.

- Keep your workouts to no more than 45 minutes at the very most when doing this type of training. Any more than that and you will be breaking yourself down too much. It's an extremely demanding form of training as you'll be working every major energy system in your body. You will also find it will crank your metabolism up pretty seriously!

For a sample workout to follow, taken directly from my "Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss" ebook, please click on the following link:

http://best-exercises.com/go/metabolic-surge-sample-workout/

You will be able to print this workout and take it to the gym with you to try out.

Want to learn more about the "Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss" program? Click on the following link right now!

http://best-exercises.com/go/metabolic-surge/

Your new body is waiting for you!

——————

Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 15 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including "Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and "Specialization Training," all available at (BetterU). He can be contacted at betteru@fitstep.com.

——————

Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss

A Fat-Loss Program That Actually Allows You To Build Strength AND Muscle? How Is That Possible?

It's possible with a scientifically-designed program that harnesses and applies the real power of your own natural metabolism.

With the right training and nutrition, your body is fully capable of building muscle even when on a fat-loss program. You see, your body reacts to certain nutrients and certain training styles in very predictable ways.

By exploiting your body's natural reactions, the right program not only maximizes the positive fat-burning and muscle-building effects of Growth Hormone, it also maximizes the anabolic effects of Insulin while minimizing Insulin's possible negative impact on fat burning.

It's a combination that has the potential to transform your body in a remarkably short period of time!

Let me put it this way – if I only had one program that I could do for the rest of my life, this program would be it.

Click here right now to learn about a groundbreaking new program that does exactly this!

http://best-exercises.com/go/metabolic-surge/

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