FITNESS

When you need abdominal

muscles that show and go,
try these monsters
ofthemidsection
BY ADAM CAMPBELL, C.S.C.S.
PHOTOGRAPHS BYSYE WILLIAMS
Abs are money.
We speak from personal experience, having

Speed Shift used the cover of this magazine to sell more

six-packs than Anheuser-Busch.
The man: Johnnie Morton, wide receiver, Detroit Lions
The move: standing abdominal twist
But there's evidence everywhere. A molded
S way
ometimes catching a football involves moving your upper body one
while your lower body goes the other. To pull it off, Morton
midsection is pure cash flow for anyone who
needs balance and superhuman control of his midsection muscles— has to remove his shirt in his line of work. Would
qualities that will help in any sport that requires quick changes in di-
the name "Pitt" be anything more than a signal
rection, like baseball, basketball, tennis, soccer, or hockey.
to roll on some deodorant, save for an ab-flexing
How you do it: Hold a medicine ball or weight plate with both hands out in front of your chest,
your arms slightly bent. Without moving your legs, rotate your torso 90 degrees to the right.
scene in Thelma and Louise?
(Don't go any farther-that would be too tough on your lower back.) Pause, then rotate back
The bankability reaches beyond aesthetics.
180 degrees so you're facing left. Pause and rotate right to the starting position. That's one
repetition. Work up to three sets of 20 or more repetitions, beginning and ending each set If you're an athlete, abs are your body's big-play
with the weight in the middle. 'This gives me a good burn and helps me develop stamina as
well as strength," Morton says.
muscles. Your legs and arms may do the grunt
work, but it's your abdominals that put you on
SportsCenter.
So we asked professional athletes and actors
to show us the abdominal exercises that help
them earn a living.
You already know this stuff works. You've
seen the results on ESPN and in the local
cineplex. Now it's time to see how a set of pro
abs will look on you. »

Illustrations by John Hull www.menshealth.com i MAY 2001 1O3 MEN'S HEALTH

FITNESS ALL-STAR ABS

Extend Yourself
The man: Dain Blanton, Olympic gold
medalist in beach volleyball
The move: cross-legged crunch

Aknows
beach volleyball player never
where the next serve or
BEACH BLANTON
BINGO: Constant
spike is going to take him. But he variety makes a
knows his abs have to get him there. greater Dain.
He uses them to bend, twist, and
extend his body into position for a
return. So Blanton tries to shift his
legs and torso into different posi-
tions each workout, in an effort to
give the midsection muscles new
and different challenges.

How you do it: Lie on your back on the floor,

your lower legs crossed on the floor. Hold your
hands behind your ears and pull your elbows
back as far as possible. Now crunch your head
and shoulders up off the floor and hold the
contraction; then slowly lower yourself. Do three
sets of 10 to 15 repetitions.

Make 'em Last

The man: Tiki Barber, running back, New
How you do it: Lie on your back and bend your knees and
hips 90 degrees so your feet are in the air. Place your finger-
tips behind your ears and perform an abdominal crunch by

York Giants lifting your head and shoulders off the floor. At the same time,

The move: cycling crunch lift your right leg to your chest. Lower your torso to the floor as

A running back, like an obstetrician, has to you straighten your right leg, keeping it a few inches off the

spend a lot of time in a crouch. But unlike floor. Crunch again, this time lifting your left leg to your chest.

the OB, a running back has to spend every Do three sets of 20 repetitions.

second on the field prepared to hit as well as

be hit. This requires not only midsection
strength but also stamina, which is why Bar-
ber does cycling crunches. These force him to
contract his abdominals—as he would if he
knew Ray Lewis had him in his sights—while
keeping his legs moving. Any athlete who
needs a low center of gravity—for guarding in
basketball, working the baseline in tennis,
scooping up throws at first base—will benefit
from cycling crunches.
 Balance Your Back, Abs, and Glures
The man: Scottie Pippen, guard, Por tland Trail Blazers The move: shoulder bridge
Kou can't have good abs if your How you do it Lie on your back with your legs bent and your feet flat on the floor. Push
lower back is out of whack. up with your hips so your weight rests on your shoulders. Your body should form a
Pippen, who has a history of back straight linefrom your knees to your shoulders. Hold this position for 20 seconds, and
problems, picked up this exercise gradually work your way up to I minute. (Pippen does it for 5 minutes.) Advanced
from Tim Grover, owner of Attack version: Straighten one leg and hold it up in the air while you do the exercise. Start with
Athletics in Chicago. The beauty your weaker leg in the air, and give equal time to both sides. »
of this bridge is that it strengthens
your abs, lower back, and gluteals
simultaneously. "That's where all
your balance, stability, and power
come from," Grover says.

toward your rib cage. Then slowly lower

THE ABORIGINALS your hips back to the starting position.

As they lightly touch the floor, repeat.
Performance Tips
Three classic moves to get you centered > Don't quickly rock up and down. You'd
BY KURT BRUNGARDT be using momentum to aid you in the
exercise, taking work away from your
A well-done crunch is a thing of beauty. Feet flat on the floor, hands behind the ears, lower abs.
slow and steady movements up and down. Nothing rushed, no movement wasted. > Keep constant tension on your abs—

Of course, you don't see this poetic motion very often. Few people do the basic don't rest between repetitions.
> Use your hands for balance. Don't use
crunch anymore. Most either trick it up with twists and funny
them to push your hips off the floor.
> Keep your head and neck relaxed.

angles, or do it so poorly that you can't
tell if they're exercising or fighting the
effects of a tropical disease.
Which makes this as good a time as
any to remind you of the basics of
abdominal exercise. After you master
the simplest exercises, the advanced
ones become far more beneficial.
The following three exercises form
the crux of the 6-week core program in
my new book, Essential Abs. Do one set
of each move for the first 2 weeks,
working up to 18 slow, perfect repeti-
tions of each.
week for 6 weeks. By then you will have
mastered the three beginner exercises—
and be good and ready to move on, too.
CRUNCH
Lie on your back with your knees bent, your
feet flat on the floor, and your hands behind
your ears.
Use your upper abs to raise your rib cage
toward your pelvis and lift your shoulder
blades off the floor. Then slowly lower your
shoulders back to the starting position.
Performance Tips
> Make sure your shoulder blades come off
CROSSOVER CRUNCH
Lie on your back with your knees up and
your feet on the floor. Cross your left leg
over your right knee. Put your right hand
behind your head, with your elbow
extended to the side. Place your left hand
on your right side.
Raise your right shoulder and cross it
toward your left knee. Then slowly lower
your shoulder back to the starting position.
When you finish all of your repetitions on
your right side, repeat on your left side.
Performance Tips
> Make sure your entire torso twists up

Then add more exercises to your ab the floor each time. Don't just move your and toward your knee. Don't move just
routine, but continue to do one set of each head and neck. your elbow or shoulder.
of these after finishing the new ones. > Pause at the top of the movement after > Feel the squeeze in your obliques— the

You'll become really good at the basic
moves because you'll have to do them
with ever greater levels of exhaustion.
Try your new routine three times a
Reprinted from Men's Health Essential Abs by Kurt
Brungardt. ©2001Kurt Brungardt. To order, visit
www.rodalestore.com, or call (800) 848-4735.
you've exhaled.
REVERSE CRUNCH
Lie on your back with your head and neck
relaxed and your hands on the floor near
your butt. Use your lower-abdominal
muscles to raise your hips off the floor and
muscles on the sides of your abdomi-
nals—on the side you're working.
For customized workouts delivered right to
your e-mailbox. sign up for the new Men's
Health Personal Trainer service.
Register at www.menshealth.com.

www.menshealth.com ! MAY 2001 1O7 MEN'S HEALTH