Your Ultimate 4-Week Core

Strength Plan

BY SHANA VERSTEGEN
MAY 31, 2018

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We train our core for many reasons: great posture, less back pain, better
athletic performance, tighter midsection and a myriad other valid benefits.
Gain all of these benefits and more, safely and effectively with your own
bodyweight during our 4-Week Core Strength Plan.

Remember: A lot more goes into getting a tight and defined midsection
than simply doing abdominal exercises. A healthy diet and plenty of sleep
are both essential to creating a better athlete and a better body, so
continue tracking your food and workouts on MyFitnessPal for overall
health and fitness!

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 THE EXERCISES

PLANK
For maximum strength and endurance gains, hold tighter, more active
planks for a shorter period of time. With the forearms on the ground and
elbows directly under the shoulders, brace every muscle of your body
(especially those glutes!) and hold a perfectly straight line for 10 seconds
on, 2–3 seconds off. If you cannot complete a 10-second plank without the
hips sagging, move your knees to the ground.

For the weekly plank test, stop when you are no longer able to maintain
maximum core tension or when body alignment suffers — there should be
constant body tension and ears, shoulders, hips and ankles should be
aligned. It is best to do these challenges (and all exercises!) in front of a
mirror.

● READ MORE: The Abs Workout You Need to Start Doing

PLANK PROGRESSIONS
Plank + Arm Raises

Slide right hand out in front of your body, return, then repeat with the left
hand. Ensure there is no rotation or other movement with the plank.

Plank + Leg Raises

Slightly lift and abduct (push away from the body) your right leg, return,
then repeat on the left. Ensure there is no rotation or other movement with
the plank.

Plank Walks Side to Side

While on your forearms, maintain a straight and active plank while taking a
“step” with the right forearm and right leg to the right, and returning with the
left forearm and left leg to the left.

MCGILL CURL UP
Dr. Stuart McGill identified three exercises (known as the “Big Three”) that
focus on core strength and stability while putting a minimal load on the
spine.

The McGill Curl-Up, one of the “Big Three” exercises, differs from a crunch
in that there should be no movement from the lumbar spine so as to protect
the discs and promote proper posture. Begin by laying flat on your back
with only one knee bent. Place your hands under the small of your back to
monitor movement, ensuring your back does not touch the floor. Brace the
core muscles as if you were about to be punched in the stomach and lift the
head and tops of the shoulders, keeping the spine in neutral. For an added
challenge, lift your elbows off of the floor.

SIDE PLANK

The side plank is another one of McGill’s “Big Three” exercises. Line your
elbow up with your shoulder and your shoulder with your hip and heel. With
a very tight and braced core, push the ground away from you, staying
active in the shoulder joint. To reduce the intensity, perform this exercise as
a side bridge from the knees instead of the feet.

For the weekly side plank test, stop when you are no longer able to
maintain maximum core tension or when body alignment suffers — there
should be constant body tension and ears, shoulders, hips and ankles
should be aligned. It is best to do these challenges (and all exercises!) in
front of a mirror.

SIDE PLANK PROGRESSIONS

Side Plank + Leg Raises

While holding a strong, straight active plank, lift your top leg up about 6
inches and slightly back to engage the glutes. Lower and return.

Side Plank + Twist

Reach your top arm under your body while simultaneously raising hips.
Return to a solid and straight plank position.

BIRD DOG

The bird dog is a co-contraction of one leg and the opposite arm in the
quadruped position. Begin by posturing the spine in neutral, with your
hands directly underneath your shoulders and the knees directly
underneath your hips. Find a neutral spine and gently brace your core.
Sweep the floor with your hand and knee after each 10-second hold.

7 Essential Strength
And Conditioning
Exercises For Martial
Arts
February 03, 2017

Strength and conditioning workouts aren’t just great for all-round fitness; they may
help with injury prevention as well. Alain Moggi, a personal trainer with 10 years of
experience of training in karate, Muay Thai, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) tells us more
about the essential exercises every martial artist needs to start doing right now.

Note: Weighted exercises should be adjusted according to whether you’re training for
power and strength, or conditioning and endurance. Generally, if you want to get
stronger, go for heavier weights and lower reps. For conditioning and endurance, do
more reps at lower weights.
Minimal Or No Equipment

#1 Pull-ups

Pull-ups help build upper body strength by developing the muscles in your upper
back. These are essential for those pulling motions in jiu-jitsu when you control your
opponent, as well as for the clinch in Muay Thai and MMA.

If you’re unable to do a proper pull-up, start off with easier exercises such as jump
pulls or negative pull ups (where you stand on a platform). Get your chin above the
bar by jumping or stepping onto a platform, then lower yourself slowly.
Both of these progressions focus on the controlled downward motion of the pull up,
which would help you build the strength you need to eventually perform a proper pull-
up. Regardless of whether you’re doing proper pull-ups or the easier progressions,
you should focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together to activate your back
muscles, rather than your biceps.

#2 Push-ups

You can’t talk about strength and conditioning for martial arts without mentioning
the humble push-up. This is useful for the striking arts, as the pushing motions help
build strength so you can put more power behind your punches.
To do a proper push-up, make sure your arms are tucked in, with your hands beneath
your shoulders. Your elbows should glide along your rib cage as you perform the
motion. BJJ practitioners might want to try a variation of the push-up that uses the
medicine ball. Push-up on a medicine ball then roll it over to your other hand and
repeat the motion. This is great for training your balance for BJJ.

#3 Burpees

Very few people can claim to enjoy doing burpees, but they are still one of the best
bodyweight exercises you can do for martial arts. The action of sprawling and
jumping back up to your feet mimics many of the level changes you will have to do
for grappling. As they also quickly get your heart rate up, burpees are also an
efficient way to build endurance and cardiovascular fitness.

With Basic Gym Equipment

#4 Overhead Presses

Overhead presses – where you lift kettlebells or dumbbells over your head from your
shoulders – will help strengthen those deltoids. You need strong shoulders to help
you keep your guard up, especially when you’re fatigued.
Aim to do about eight to 12 reps. The weight should be heavy enough such that the
last three reps are challenging to finish. Keep your forearms parallel to each other,
and your biceps should be next to your ears in the top position.

#5 Deadlifts

Deadlifts activate your glutes, hamstrings, lower back muscles, and core, and are
great for BJJ because they help strengthen your grip at the same time. For deadlifts,
the focus should always be on good form, so don’t go too heavy when you first start
out.
Your toes should be pointing forward as you look ahead of you, and ensure that you
don’t round your back. As you lower the bar in a straight vertical motion, make sure
to stick your buttocks back with your knees slightly bent. If your form is good, you
should feel the stretch in your hamstrings, rather than your quads.

#6 Squats With A Barbell

Another essential workout for leg day, doing squats with a barbell activates your
core, quads, glutes, and hamstrings. As always, the focus should be on form. Both
front squats (where the barbell rests on your shoulders under your chin) and back
squats (where you rest the barbell on your shoulders behind your neck and trapezius
muscles) are equally beneficial, but you’d usually be able to use heavier weights with
back squats.

Those with lower back issues, however, should stay away from the back squat.
Lower yourself slowly (using a three-second count), ensuring that your knees do not
collapse inwards and go further than your toes to avoid putting unnecessary strain
on your joints. Explode upwards after you’ve reached a full squat before quickly
lowering yourself again.
#7 Thrusters

Thrusters help train your explosiveness and cardiovascular fitness. Start by standing
with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the barbell just in front of your shoulders.
Your wrists should be positioned under the barbell. Do a full squat, and as you
extend your hips and legs rapidly, use the momentum of the upward movement to
push the bar up above your head.
5 Ways Crossfit Can
Improve Your Martial
Arts Skills
January 25, 2017

ONE Championship contributor Adam Bernard shares how crossfit can be beneficial to
martial arts training.

As a lifelong martial artist who currently holds a fourth-degree black belt in kempo, I
am always looking for ways to better my skills in the dojo. Sometimes this means
working with higher ranks. Other times, it means putting in work outside of the dojo
that translates to what we do inside the dojo.

Like many folks out there, I started hitting the gym pretty hard while in college. It was
not until I dove into crossfit three years ago, however, that I began to see radical
improvements in my martial arts skills. I have found myself reaching new heights,
both figuratively and literally, and all of this has all been happening while in my mid-
to-late 30s.

Here are five ways in which crossfit has improved my martial arts skills.
#1 Stronger Kicks

There’s a big focus on leg work in crossfit. Deadlifts, cleans, squats, thrusters,
lunges, wall ball, rowing, assault bikes, and a host of other exercises strengthen the
lower half of your body. Because these exercises are usually done for an extremely
high rep count, and within a time limit, not only are you strengthening your legs, you
are gaining speed.

After just a few months of crossfit, the improvement in my kicks was noticeable in
strength, speed, and, when hitting the bag, sound. I went from having good kicks to
having head turning, ‘whose kicks are those, and what does he have against the
bag?’ kicks.
#2 Better Stances

In addition to improving my kicks, all of the leg work has also improved my stances,
a key aspect of the martial arts. The stronger your stance, the less likely you are to
be taken down.

Pre-crossfit, I had a solid horse stance and a decent twist stance. Now my horse
stance is one of the deepest at my dojo, and my twist stance both looks nice and I
can strike effectively while in it.

#3 Improved Agility
While all the leg work has improved my kicks and my stances, crossfit also
embraces working out the shoulders and the abdominals. Pull ups (and muscle ups
if you are a beast), push presses, clean and presses, and a variety of other exercises
work the shoulders, while toes-to-bar is usually the ab workout of choice (hanging
from the pull up bar and bringing your toes up to it).

Guess what happens when hanging from a pull up bar becomes your preferred
method of hanging out? Your upper body becomes more agile. As an additional
bonus, this also makes various locks involving your arms significantly easier to do.

#4 Stronger Blocks

Being that you are improving your strength in basically every part of your body, it
should come as no surprise that another positive result of crossfit training is that
your blocks become stronger.

Not only that, but in the event you do not block a strike, your ability to withstand a hit
is much improved (but get the block in, regardless!).
#5 Improved Endurance

Crossfit has you doing a variety of exercises either in a specific amount of time, or in
order to find your personal best time for a specific workout. Both of these concepts
lead to pushing oneself while working out with weights.

You will always leave a crossfit workout exhausted and completely drenched in
sweat. You will always enter the next workout ready to better your time, improve on a
lift, or finally get that muscle up.

Because the rest of life moves at a much slower pace than a crossfit WOD (workout
of the day), attempting and achieving these physical goals leads to a skyrocketing of
one’s endurance level.
Crossfitters like to joke, ‘your workout is our warmup,’ and there’s quite a bit of truth
to that. For a martial artist, the end result is being able to do a lot more at the dojo.

Final Thoughts

All of this having been said, not all crossfit gyms are equal. If you are looking to give
crossfit a try, seek out places in your area that will let you take a class for free. See
how you get along with the trainers and how knowledgeable, and helpful, they are.

Personally, I am at a crossfit gym where the owner is also a chiropractor, so I know

they are safety-conscious and serious about making sure everyone is doing the
lifts/moves correctly.

Just like with a dojo, it is important to be comfortable with the instructors and know
you are in a place that cares about your safety. Find that place and get to training!

Images: Mark Teo

Venue: Crossfit Singapore

Instead of just getting a six-pack, why not get a

healthier spine AND a six-pack?

Stop doing crunches and sit-ups. You may be causing more harm than
good. And besides, they’re not the best core strengthening exercises
anyway.

The general population typically views the core as the “six-pack abs” that
they all need. Truth be told, those muscles that are on display aren’t the
most important.

–> RELATED READING: All About Core Training

The Most Important Core Muscle You Don’t

Know About

Let me introduce you to the Transverse Abdominis (TrA) muscle. Or, the
“money-maker.” If you can properly engage this area before performing
exercises and during exercises, you’ll have a much healthier spine and
lower back moving forward. (Yes, your “six-pack abs” will reap some
benefits as well.)
The important part about this muscle is that it acts to protect your spine. It’s
beneath the superficial “six-pack abs“ (i.e., rectus abdominis), so it often
goes overlooked. However, its role is superior to all other muscles within
your core.

Most people have a tough time properly engaging this area. Here’s a
simple way to think about it:

● Lie on a flat surface such as your bed or the floor.

● Now, you want to imagine pulling your belly button up and into your
spine. If you need a visual cue or some assistance, I suggest you
either use your finger (gently) or an object such as a hockey puck to
understand it better.
● The key here is to not hold your breath. You should be able to carry a
conversation while engaging this muscle.
● For starters, I’d engage this muscle and hold it for 5 seconds. Repeat
that for a total of 20 repetitions to get the “feel” of it initiated and
properly ingrained into your system.

+++

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Train the Function of Your Core; Not the

Anatomy

So, you still do “crunches” and “sit-ups” and wonder why your client’s lower
back still hurts?

Think about it: when you perform biceps curls, you can literally see your
biceps muscle contract and shorten. The next day, you’re used to that sore
feeling of the muscle being worked the previous day. Your biceps muscle is
also slightly shortened and prefers this position as opposed to being
stretched or elongated.

Why wouldn’t your core muscles on the anterior portion of your body act
the same way? Muscles are muscles. They stretch and shorten. They
“react.” That’s it. It’s that simple.

My point is that by performing crunches and sit-ups, you’re only making it

worse for your body, not better. The work done by Dr. Stuart McGill proves
this. By performing core training exercises that force your trunk and spine
into excessive flexion (i.e., crunches and sit-ups), the facet joints and
vertebral discs within your vertebral column take a beating. The same can
be said for excessive extension.

What’s The Purpose of Your Core?

All the muscles in your core and lumbopelvic hip complex work in tandem
to provide protection for your spine, specifically at the lumbar segments in
your vertebral column. Most notably, these areas protect your spine during
movements in the form of: anti-rotation, anti-flexion and anti-extension.
Of course, we don’t want to avoid moving into rotation, flexion and
extension at all costs during our daily lives. That’s not my point. For training
purposes though, we should think about our core this way to get a better
understanding of what’s truly going on at our spine.

First, you’ll want to organize your spine and find a posture that feels best
for your body. These two areas are very important if your goal is to achieve
a strong core that functions well.

Next, your goal should be to achieve proper core stability. If you can
stabilize the muscles in your core in the presence of change (i.e.,
movement), than you’ll achieve a greater level of health and a happier
lower back.

After that, it’s the right time to emphasize strengthening your core by
adding forms of external resistance (i.e., medicine ball, resistance band,
cable column, Valslides, etc.). When you have a good foundation of all of
these elements, you can begin to add power and explosive movement
patterns into your core training routines.
This progression is quite important, as it will help to bulletproof your spine
for long-term health.

How does this all make sense?

Well, let’s think about basic level core strengthening exercises, such as the
Plank Hold. During this exercise, your job is to brace your core muscles,
create full-body tension and to hold a static position, while gravity and your
body-weight try to tell you otherwise.

–> READ MORE: Planks: The Magic Sauce to Fix Hip Tightness

On a higher level, you’re performing an anti-extension exercise, where

you’re deliberately trying to avoid spinal extension, specifically in the
lumbar spine. Basically, you don’t want to let your hips dip down toward the
floor.

In order for you to be able to properly perform all of this at the same time,
it’s necessary for you to have core stability. That’s the key. That’s also why
I believe it is imperative to learn how to stabilize your core before adding
elements of strength and power.

Progressions in Core Strengthening Exercises

Some examples of core strengthening exercises. Videos below

I specifically selected core strengthening exercises in each progression,

from basic to advanced, that would be challenging while also properly
enforcing the key concepts and functions of the core.
I recommend mastering the exercises in each section before moving
forward along the progression line.

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Basic Level Core Strengthening Exercises

Here is a list of the three core exercises in this section followed by the
video demonstrations of each:

● Plank Hold
● Hips Don’t Dance Mountain Climber
● Dead-Bug

Intermediate Level Core Strengthening

Exercises

Once you’ve mastered the basic level section, check out this list of the four
core strengthening exercises with a corresponding video demonstration of
each one:

● Perfect Posture Rotating Plank

● Half-Kneeling Chop
● Anti-Rotation “Pallof” Press and Overhead Raise
● Plank Body-Saw with Valslides

Advanced Level Core Strengthening Exercises

Finally, you’re ready to tackle the advanced section. Here is the list of the
three core strengthening exercises with a corresponding video
demonstration of each movement:

● Side Plank Hold to Row with Hip Flexion

● Half-Kneeling Medicine Ball Wall Toss
● Farmer’s Carry Variation: Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Waiter’s Hold with
Dumbbell Suitcase Hold

Remember: the primary goal when training your core is to train the function,
and not the anatomy. By doing so, you’ll find it easier to achieve optimal
levels of performance and health, while preventing injury along the way.