It’s been awhile since I’ve posted an exercise how to, so today is your lucky day!  Lol.  It seems that every client, past and present, wants nice abs.  And hey, who can blame them?  I want nice abs too!!  Very few of us were given gorgeous abs by the ab gods, and trust me, I’m not one of them any more than most folks are.  So the thing about great abs is that, like most things in life, if you really want them; you have to work for them.  So, let’s get to it already, shall we?

If you have worked with me before in either a one on one, buddy or small group training session or even if you’ve taken one of my bootcamp or TRX classes, you know good and well what a V-sit is.  You also know that there are several variations that add difficulty to the original pose.  Well, guess what??!!!  I’ve got an evil genius variation that is gonna rip up your abs in an oh so good way!!  I felt it right away while I was doing it and for several days afterward while I was recovering too!  AWESOME!!  :)    For those of you who haven’t worked with me before, I’ll cover a how to on the original pose as well as the variations I referred to previously.  This is a great exercise to incorporate into your next ab workout.

Exercise How To: The V-sit

1. Begin by sitting on a gym mat or on the floor (I highly recommend that you use a mat  though, the floor gets really hard in a hurry).

2. With your arms fully extended in front of you (make sure you’ve got your core tight, chest up high and shoulders back), lean back slightly until you feel your core contract entirely.

3. Once you feel your core tighten, lift your feet off the ground and extend your legs.  Make sure you maintain a strong, tight core.  Do not allow your back to round.  Your body should look like the letter V.  Hold that position for 30 seconds.

(Note: If this is too challenging, there are ways to make it easier.  If you are just beginning to work your core, start by following everything above except allow your feet to remain on the floor.  Hold that position, making sure not to let your back round, for 30 seconds.   Once you are strong enough that this no longer feels challenging, you can lift your feet off the ground.  Rather than focusing on your legs being fully extended (as they are in the above picture) bend your knees so that your legs and arms are both horizontal, like in the picture below.)

Okay, let’s talk about how to make it harder (because believe it or not, this is going to get too easy for you at some point).  :)

One of my favorite ways to add difficulty to any exercise is to take away some of the stability.  Doing so, makes the muscles work  harder in order to stabilize you, specifically the abdominal muscles since that is where balance comes from.  Cue the BOSU ball!  For this  particular exercise, you’re going to sit on it, right side up, and then follow the instructions above.   Challenging enough for you?  If not, you can always increase the amount of time you hold the position.

If you really wanna amp up the difficulty, and yes, this is what I was talking about in the beginning of my post, complete the “V” formation by raising your arms above your head.  HOLY MOLY!!!  You’ll feel it instantly!  But hey, summer is coming and that means bikinis, tank tops and mid drifts…and you know what that means!  It means it’s time to whip those abs into shape and this little gem is gonna help!

Again, if 30 seconds in this pose sounds like hell and feels like some ancient form of torture, make it a little easier by performing reps instead of the static hold.  You’ll get stronger each and every time you do it, so trust me, that 30 second static hold isn’t far.    Oh, and don’t forget to stretch when you’re done with your workout!  :)

As with all exercise, when it gets challenging, our bodies start telling us we can’t do it.  I’m telling you right now that’s bullshit; YES YOU CAN!  Your body won’t go where your mind won’t push it.  Commit to yourself that you’re going to do it, tell yourself you can, and then prove it to yourself by following through.  There’s only one way to change and that’s by doing something different.  Unfortunately,  change isn’t always progress.  Things can change for the worse as well; make sure that doesn’t happen to you.  You’re the only one who can.  :)

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