So, you want to get nice abs, strong abs, the six-pack abs? Most often when talking about abdominal exercises, crunches, sit-ups, stability ball exercises, planks, and a variety of exercises on the floor are what come to mind. All of these have been used successfully for years, and many people will swear by these abs workouts as the key to perfect abs. But if you take a closer look at the anatomy of the abdominal muscles, the biomechanics, and the way they actually function in our world, it opens up a whole different way, a more effective way, and a more functional way to train your abs. Open your mind to train your abs functionally, prepare them for the way they actually work, prevent injuries, and develop strong, six-pack abs.

     Let’s begin by understanding the anatomy and true function of the abdominal muscles related to the world in which we live. Our world is three-dimensional; we move forward and back in the sagittal plane, we move side to side in the frontal plane, and we rotate in the transverse plane. In order to train effectively, we need to consider movement in these three planes of motion to make sure all parts are getting stimulated. These functional abdominal exercises will be grouped in three directions or planes of motion for each exercise.

     Abdominal muscles are a group of muscles with four layers of muscle spanning from the pelvis to the thorax (upper body). These muscles connect the lower body and upper body by linking the pelvis to the ribs, back, spine, and connective tissue. Our pelvis is a sturdy bony structure which moves in three-dimensional space as our legs walk, run, jump, and balance. Our thorax is the upper body consisting of the ribs and chest, which control the shoulders and arms moving in three-dimensional space as our arms reach, lift, punch, spike, swing, catch, and throw. Therefore, the abdominal muscles are the link connecting the pelvis moving in three-dimensional space to the upper body moving in three-dimensional space – both in different directions.

     The function of the abdominal muscles is to coordinate motion between the pelvis and thorax. Decelerating motion in one direction and then accelerating motion in another direction, the abdominal muscles stretch, twist, bend, and contract. Most sports and activities we do as humans are in an upright standing position. We are on our feet while our arms are reaching, lifting, grabbing, throwing, catching, and swinging, which all stretch our abdominal muscles in three dimensions. Many times the shoulders and arms are moving in directions different from the pelvis, both in three-dimensional space. Think of catching/throwing a high pass, spiking a volleyball, making a tackle, swinging a golf club, or punching – these are all great examples of how our abdominal muscles work functionally.

     In order to train for stronger, more functional abdominal muscles, staying on your feet will provide much more effective training. Functional training your abdominal muscles will utilize the body’s neural systems for turning muscles on to allow them to contract stronger. We also need to understand the way muscles get turned on to become stronger.

     Muscles react to stretching to get turned on. Receptors called proprioceptors are embedded in the muscles and tendons which get stimulated by stretching. A muscle needs to load before it can explode or unload. Loading a muscle means lengthening it to prepare for it for shortening and contraction. Eccentric contraction is the lengthening of a muscle when it is decelerating a motion and preparing the muscle to contract concentrically, or shorten, in the opposite direction. When muscles are eccentrically lengthened, proprioceptors get stimulated by the stretch and prime the muscle to concentrically contract. Functional training the abdominal muscles means eccentric lengthening, or stretching the muscles, to turn them on in order for them to get stronger.

Putting it all together to functionally train the abdominal muscles, remember:

• Train the abdominal muscles in three dimensions (or planes of motion)
• Both pelvis and upper body move three dimensionally
  • Sometimes they move in the same direction
  • Sometimes they move in different directions
• Train upright, on your feet, similar to activities in the real world
• Eccentrically lengthen the abdominal muscles to turn them on

                  
                                                                          Article by: Steve Politis, PT, DPT, FAFS, CSCS

Kettlebells have been around for over 300 years in one form or another. Originating in Scotland and then finding their way to the old Soviet Union. The first recorded account was 1704 in a Russian dictionary described as a girevik which means ‘a kettlebell man.’

Kettlebells were the training tool of choice for the early 1900's strongmen. The early bodybuilding and muscle building manuals and weight sets all had kettlebells.

In the early 1900's musclemen, bodybuilders and strong men of Europe, Canada and America like Arthur Saxon (shown above), Sig Klein, Louis Cyr and Eugen Sandow, to name a few all trained with kettlebells just like the Russian strongmen and athletes. Yet, while KB's disappeared in the West they began to flourish in the former Soviet Union. Everyone from common people, to the military, to Olympic athletes trained with kettlebells. In 1948 the first kettlebell competition took place in Russia. Later it became Russia's National sport.

We at Funktional Fitness have found Kettlebells to be one of the most effective tools to use in body fat loss, conditioning and rehabilitation. And the fun and out of this world workout you get with them is like no other.

One month after the New Year finds many of us falling short with our New Year’s resolution to lose those extra holiday pounds. We all have the best intentions and then we find ourselves reaching for that extra helping of food. We overeat, we sneak treats when we can and then we hate ourselves when we get on that scale at the end of the week. Is it just lack discipline or is there something more to consider?
When we are desperate to lose weight, it is easy to fall into habits that make our situation more challenging. Here is a list of "DON'TS" that you want to avoid.

MISTAKE #1: “Don’t eat until you are starving”

Many overweight folks skip breakfast and try to eat very little until dinner. But consider this fact. When you are sleeping, you body burns many of its calories and the muscles burn glucose and fat. In the morning, when you wake up, your reserves are low. We need to “break the fast” (breakfast). But if you skip this important meal and eat lightly the rest of the day, by dinner time, the body is screaming for carbohydrates. It is best to start off your day with a breakfast rich in high quality proteins. (see recipe section)

MISTAKE #2: “Eat too much at dinner”

 Congratulations Team !! We took 10th place out of 50 teams

10. 2:27:06 FUNKTIONAL FITNESS                           
==========================================
  1    25:25  Bob Claflin                    
  2    28:37  Luis Galindo                                                
  3    29:14  Michael Romero       
  4    31:15  Jeremy Jones           
  5    32:35  Maria Davis              
  6 (  32:35) Ken Davis                
  7 (  34:24) Kristina Kai            
  8 (  34:53) Melissa Stubben          
  9 (  34:53) Luis Galindo(wicho)           
10 (  36:18) Sarah Neibling          
11 (  36:28) Beverly Black           
12 (  38:33) Randee Hossack          
13 (  39:04) Shannon Slater          
14 (  40:50) Rhonda Merkel           
15 (  41:52) Myrna Pascua            
16 (  41:57) Keri Ludington          
17 (  41:57) Luke Neibling           
18 (  43:38) Ricky Oliver            
19 (  45:20) Kristina Olson          
20 (  46:53) Karen Luebke            
21 (  48:39) Shaina Zuckerbrow       
22 (  48:51) Jennifer Young                     
23 (  49:40) Brian O'Halloran                    
24 (  49:41) Molly Houston                      
25 (  50:10) Angie Nuetzman                   
26 (  50:56) Donna Backhaus          
27 (  51:09) Catherine Sanchez       
28 (  52:17) Tania Marquez           
29 (  57:42) Danielle Rael           
30 (1:01:36) Lauren Woffinden        
31 (1:03:14) Jordan Woffinden        
32 (1:03:42) Dominique Rael          
33 (1:05:14) Melanie Bunker          
34 (1:32:33) Leslie Reesing          
35 (1:46:00) Patricia Rael 

Other team members whose times were posted elsewhere:

Ex Rx: The key to keeping strong and healthy as you age lies inside your fitness shoes.

No Excuses!