Day 8 Review of Your Beach Body Boot Camp

I know, I said I'd have a great bodyweight program ready for you on today's blog post along with guest blogger Katy Sinha's final review of Your Beach Body Boot Camp, but... with this incredible weather we've been having (since our summer so far has been pretty much garbage), I decided to take Sunday to get out in the sun instead of working on the program.

Don't worry, I'm sure the weather will be back to "normal" soon, and I'll have nothing better to do than head down to my studio and devise some evil new training plans for you!


That said, here's Katy's final entry on (Day 8) reviewing Your Beach Body Boot Camp.

It was hot outside this morning and sun shining. Most of my 'favourite' drills were still in the lineup: push ups, battling ropes of death, long jump, sledge hammer, tire pulling... geez, I can't even pick one favourite, they're all so endearing! It was the final session today for the first round of boot camp which has been Mondays and Thursdays for the past 4 weeks.

Shane is ready to start round 2 with boot camp on Monday/Wednesday/Friday for the next 4 weeks. I have signed myself up for more because I can proudly say that I feel stronger and have better energy. My lower back no longer feels vulnerable where my old injury occurred.

Boot camp has been just what I needed to break me out of my 'stay at home mom' routine. I now look forward to 3 mornings a week where I have an hour of time to myself to spend on improving myself. My baby girl has adjusted beautifully to having a bottle when she wakes. My husband has learned how to make himself a smoothie and my toddler has learned that her mommy does her exercises to get 'big and strong'.

Overall, a raging success and I'm very much looking forward to the next 4 weeks. I'll sign off here as it's been a great pleasure to guest blog for Shane. He's a superb boot camp coach. Always encouraging, motivating, knowledgeable, trustworthy.

Thanks for reading, hope my thoughts and observations have helped you decide to make a positive change for yourself too!

Katy


Thanks for following Katy's reviews, and as she mentions, there are just so many incredible benefits to this type of workout, and pretty much anybody can do it, you start at your own pace and build your capacity over time.

For the cost of the bootcamp, you really won't find a better value that delivers serious results!

If you'd like more information, please head on over to www.your-beach-body-boot-camp.com to check it out!

Thanks for reading!

:)
Shane Miller
Your Strength and Fat Loss Coach
www.your-beach-body-boot-camp.com
www.your-strength-and-fat-loss-coach.com

Day 7 Review of Your Beach Body Boot Camp

Keeping it short, we're back with guest blogger Katy Sinha's Day 7 review of
www.your-beach-body-boot-camp.com

Enjoy!


Hey everyone,

WHOA! Day 7 boot camp just picked up a notch. Ten minutes into the sessions, I was so winded and leg muscles feeling like spaghetti that I started thinking I'd have to sit out for one drill. I think it was the back-to-back "battling ropes of death" and then the long jump. I was fooled thinking "hey, the long jump! I did that in grade 3 during PARTICIPACTION.

More accurately, I should have said... I haven't done that since grade 3!

Push ups again... tough tough tough. I don't feel like I've improved yet. And THEN...bilateral "battling ropes of death" in the first session and again in the second session using one arm independent of the other. Those are deadly, ugh!

The other day in the mirror, you know what I noticed?! Shoulder, biceps, triceps, and (I think even my) butt muscles developing! I guess those pushups and sandbag cleans are working their magic.

So it's true and out in the open for us to digest. We are going to increase boot camp frequency to 3 mornings a week. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next four weeks. I have sorted out my child-minding and now have to get my brain used to 6:15am wake ups 3x/week.

More after Thursday's camp.

Katy


That's it for today folks, I'll be back tomorrow with an article on body weight only training that you can do at home with minimal equipment, to build both strength and increase muscle mass, as well as burn fat fast. I'll also be featuring Katy's Day 8 review of www.your-beach-body-boot-camp.com

Until then,

:)
Shane Miller, CPT, CSN
Your Strength and Fat Loss Coach
www.your-beach-body-boot-camp.com
www.your-strength-and-fat-loss-coach.com

Day 6 Review of Your Beach Body Boot Camp

Today we have a short one for you, just guest blogger Katy Sinha's review of
Your Beach Body Boot Camp.


Day 6

Boot camp this morning had MORE push ups and I don't think I was fully recovered from previous day because my chest was still killin'!

Thankfully, Shane showed me how to do a variation by bringing my arms in closer to my body so I worked my triceps much more this time and my chest much less. Wouldn't it be faaaabulous if I actually developed tricep muscles again?!

So there's this sneaking rumour going around that Shane wants to increase boot camp days to 3x/ week. Monday, Wendesday, and Friday. I wonder if I can commit 3 mornings per week as I have to juggle my family responsibilities which include 2 baby girls and a husband's work schedule.

My husband is definitely not a morning person however he has graciously been getting up with the girls on the mornings of boot camp so I can get my butt in shape. I'll have to work this out at home before I can commit.

I think Shane even commented on this aspect of getting in shape. He said that you've got to set yourself up for success which includes getting your partner on board. If he/she is eating junk in front of you, you're more likely to cheat also.

Same goes for this 3rd day in the boot camp schedule. I need my partner's full support. Given that he works long hours and I respect that he does need sleep in the mornings, I think I'll have to look elsewhere for caretaking of my kids. Perhaps my neighbor who is up early with her kids, perhaps my Mum can come over early one morning a week. I'll figure it out and let you know.

Now, why is Shane increasing the frequency? I'm still feeling the work out after each session... is my body already getting muscle memory and not working as hard as when I started? I'll ask him on Day 7.

Let's talk results now.

When I started boot camp, my lower back was in a constant state of vulnerability due to an old sports injury. Whenever I twisted or bent over, I would feel a little pull, or tingle which told me to be careful or I'd have a sore/tight back for a few days.

Since day 4 at boot camp I have not had any pain or sensitivity in my lower back. My abs and core are finally tight enough to handle the daily movements that I (as a Mum with 2 kids) endure. That alone is a milestone for me.

In addition, my whole body feels 'tighter', more together. I feel like I have much more energy throughout the day and my appetite has definitely picked up. I feel less inclined to reach for empty nutrition foods. I can honestly say that my brain is driving me towards healthy nutrient rich foods.

Yippee! Yes, I do want to come 3 mornings/week so I can enjoy more results!

See you after Day 7

Katy


I'll be back tomorrow with Katy's review of Day 7.

Until then,

:)
Shane Miller, CFT, CSN
Your Strength and Fat Loss Coach
www.your-beach-body-boot-camp.com
www.your-strength-and-fat-loss-coach.com

The Top 10 Ways to Reduce Sugar Consumption plus The Real Day 5 Review

We have long known that diets high in simple and refined sugars lead to an increased risk for heart problems, but what we haven't known is why. Well, now we know.

A study recently published in the Journal of The American College of Cardiology conducted by Dr. Michael Shechter of Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine and Sheba Medical Center's heart institute (in cooperation with its endocrinology institute), has demonstrated the exact mechanism for how the damage is caused.

Now bear with me, this gets just a teeny bit mumbo-jumbo-y.

The scientists used what's called brachial reactive testing, which, similar to taking blood pressure, uses a cuff around the upper arm, but instead of just getting a static pressure measurement, they get a real-time measurement that they use to measure the reaction of the arteries over time to different meals.

Elasticity of the arteries is extremely important in helping to maintain optimal blood pressure, and reduced flexibility is known to be a factor in heart disease. This study showed a sudden and temporary dysfunction of the endothelial lining in the arteries in response to the high glycemic foods.

Apparently, while an important function of the arteries is their ability to stretch when needed, the enormous peaks and suddenness of the stretching over time causes damage to the endothelial lining, and the body responds to such damage with a repair job by a substance called c-reactive protein(CRP). CRP once laid down in the arteries creates a sticky place for cholesterol to adhere to. Thus starting the process of Atherosclerosis.

Clearly, we should all be looking for ways to reduce our consumption of simple and refined sugars.

Top 10 Ways to Reduce Simple and Refined Sugar Consumption

1. Don't add it to foods. This may sound simple enough, but people do it all the time. Sugar is added to coffee and tea all the time. Many people who consume upwards of 10 cups of coffee a day put as much as a tablespoon of sugar in each coffee. Adding sugar to cereals or to fruit salads is another mistake.

2. Cane sugar, Honey, Molasses, Turbinado sugar, Brown Sugar, Raw Sugar. Don't be fooled by these nicer sounding names for sugar. Once you eat it, they all cause the same damage.

3. Artificial sweeteners. These guys don't have a glycemic index, but because of their sweetness they may cause you to crave sweets at other times.

4. Reduce or elminate processed and refined sugars. Breads, pastries, candies, bagels, pasta, cereals, and virtually all snackfood are just loaded with refined sugars. They may come under different names such as Confectioners sugar, flour, cornstarch, high-fructose corn syrup to name just a few, but don't be fooled. Once in your stomach, they all turn to glucose and drive your blood sugar up rapidly.

5. Fat-Free foods. As soon as "Fats" were deemed bad, manufacturers stripped large quantities of fat from everything they could get their hands on, and dumped massive quantities of processed and refined sugars in their place to keep you coming back for more.

6. Eliminate Juices. I don't care whether they're natural and unsweetened or not, just get rid of them. If you want the goodness from natural unsweetened juice, eat the fruit. You'll get everything in the juice, plus a ton of fibre and you'll consume far fewer calories in the long run. The fibre in the fruit helps to slow digestion, keeping you full longer.

7. Keep Fruit Consumption Moderate. I know I said eat fruit instead of drinking juice, but if you were drinking ten glasses of juice a day, you can't eat ten pieces of fruit each day and expect to lose body fat. For those who have reducing body fat as an objective, keep fruit consumption to just a few pieces a day at most. Fruit, while containing lots of fibre, vitamins, and minerals, also contains significantly more sugar than vegetables, which also contain lots of fiber, vitamins and minerals. So if you believe you need to eat more fruit to get enough nutrients, think again. Reach for additional veggies if you think you need more than a few pieces of fruit each day.

8. Beware of Hidden Sugars. If you pick up a food and the label says there's 30g of total carbohydrates, and you notice beside the word "sugars" it only says 3 or 4 grams, what do you think is making up the difference? It's sugars of some sort. So take the total grams as what you're eating. Divide the total number by 4 and that will tell you how many teaspoons of sugar you're eating.

9. Increase Your Nutritional Awareness. I rarely read nutritional labels because most of the foods I eat don't come with nutritional labels. Apples, oats, broccoli, etc... these things don't need labels because they're in their natural form. Its only when man has messed with the ingredients (usually screwing it up in the process) that things needed to be labeled. Conversely, obsessing about nutritional content of foods is a surefire way to end up with all sorts of health problems. However, if you do pick up a food that has a label, give it a quick read, and make yourself aware of what you're putting in your body. The old saying "Ignorance is Bliss", is only true until you start suffering, and then Ignorance is your regret.

10. Use the 5 Ingredient rule. Try not to buy foods that have more than 5 ingredients listed on the label. If you limit it to five, chances are there won't be any refined sugars.



Day 5 Review of Your Beach Body Boot Camp by guest blogger Katy Sinha

Good morning !

Glad to get back to my car after boot camp this morning. We had a touch of rain and the BUGS were crazy outside! THERE! I said it. I was sneaking my blog entries in without mention of the bugs, but finally, I broke down and had to write about it. As they say, if it doesn't kill me it'll make me stronger! I think we're talking mental toughness again.

As for the drills today, push ups came into the lineup. I started with my sissy push ups from the knees in the first round. I promptly moved to push ups from my feet as I noticed that everyone else was challenging themselves with the real thing. Yes I do have a competitive streak in me and I figure that doing only 6 push ups in 20 seconds is better than 12 from my knees.

Sneaky Shane has now organized the drill order so that in a series of 4 stations, the end of the first station and the start of the second station are at opposite corners of the camp. Our precious rest period between stations is getting taken up by having to hoof it to the next drill. Boot camp, like in the military, is starting to have its effect. I've noticed that we're now in the habit of starting the next drill when we hear the 'beeeep' and not waiting for Shane to give us the verbal cue to start. Our collective attitude of "I won't do it if I don't have to do it" is now shifting to "well, I'm here so I might as well get stronger".

Looking forward to day 6 tricks.

Katy


That wraps it up for today! Come back tomorrow for Day 6 Review, and more goodies to keep you strong, healthy, and happy!


Until next time,

Shane Miller, CFT, CSN
Your Strength and Fat Loss Coach
www.your-beach-body-boot-camp.com
www.your-strength-and-fat-loss-coach.com

Revealing Video on Food Addiction Plus Day 5 Review of Your Beach Body Boot Camp

I received an email this morning from a colleague in Boston, who found this excellent video by Dr. David Kessler, MD, the former chairman of the FDA, explaining why people find it so difficult to
resist eating certain "foods".


I'm quite certain you'll find it very enlightening.

You can watch the video here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/mEWVSEWYGEKK1


Dr. Kessler has written a book that goes into great depth in revealing why people are so addicted to certain "foods". Just like the big tobacco companies did in manipulating nicotine levels in their product to create addiction, the big agri-food producers have done the same thing.


Foods with such high concentrations of sugar and fats simply do not exist in nature, yet they permeate every single restaurant, shopping centre, grocery store, and gas station bar. These foods stimulate neurotransmitters in your brain in ways that lead you to crave them when you haven't had them in a while, and to create high levels of anticipation once you make the decision to eat them.


Sounds a lot like the same way cigarettes make you feel!

The link to the video once again is:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/mEWVSEWYGEKK1



Guest Blogger Katy Sinha is back with her review of Day 5 of Your Beach Body Boot Camp.


I've got to be careful now on what I comment on. Last post I had briefly explained how difficult but great it was to do a variation on the plank exercise for the abs. Not that Shane is reading my blog and plotting and scheming like a witch over a cauldron, but we did have to do another round of those killer planks PLUS a new variation.


He tucked those abs exercises in just at the end after we had stretched so I actually thought we were done. So, I got stuck in my mind where you expect to be finished, and you realize you still have more to do. Mental toughness was not one of the boxes I checked when I signed up, but I see that there is room for improvement.


Ditto on the 'room for improvement' with my diet. I am in perhaps the fortunate position where my main goal is not fat loss, rather it is strength and muscle gain. Many participants are on the challenging path of fat loss and I commend them for their desire to change and action in showing up every day at 7am. About 10 years ago Shane put me through a rigorous 3 week program that helped me lose 9 lbs out of a total of 45lbs that I've kept off since then.


Shane has been sending out these awesome motivational and hugely informative emails covering topics of: fat loss, health vitality and performance, 90/10 rules for discipline with eating healthy and having a cheat meal, kitchen makeovers (throwing out the junk in the cupboards and freezer).


But... gaining muscle as opposed to fat loss is just as difficult. I had a great weekend attending 2 BBQ birthday parties. Great friends, lots of food, however, I was grazing over salads, chips, burgers, birthday cake and did I mention... wine, wine and wine?


What did I notice about my slack discipline with diet?

Two things:


I noticed how my body did not feel great after the weekend as I am placing more demands upon it with boot camp. Second, the splurge on cake and chips especially did not feel worth it compared to the goals I am trying to achieve with boot camp. HA! So there...even I (who is not trying to lose weight) have to be careful about my diet and follow the principles that Shane is laying down through his emails.

This camp is making sense... it's a camp for the mind, body and spirit.

See you after Day 5

Katy


I hope you enjoyed the video I had for you today, and as well Katy's review of Your Beach Body Boot Camp.


I would love to hear your comments on the video today. I'll review the comments, and then tomorrow I'll have a giveaway for the person with the best contribution.


I need a minimum of ten comments to provide the giveaway, so click the comments link below and tell me what you thought of the video and whether you think there's even a chance for our society to beat this growing unhealthy epidemic.


Until next time,

:)
Shane Miller, CFT, CSN
Your Strength and Fat Loss Coach
www.your-beach-body-boot-camp.com
www.your-strength-and-fat-loss-coach.com

Add 25 lbs To Your Bench in 3 Hours with Curd Hos

I sent this out to my newsletter yesterday, but didn't get the chance to post it here, as I know there's still a few of you who haven't migrated over to the new platform.

If you're getting two copies of my newsletter and only want to get it once, unsubscribe to the one that says it's delivered by google. Don't unsubscribe to the one that's delivered by Aweber.

I'm using Aweber to manage my subscriptions now as it gives me far more control over how I can use the mailing list.

Here's what I sent out yesterday:


I just got off the phone with my good friend Curd Hos, who I haven't
spoken with in a while. Curd has been in the fitness industry for
even longer than I have, and let me tell you, my conversation with
Curd was eye-opening.

Curd told me that as a lifetime drug-free powerlifter he's finally
hit the 600 lbs mark on the bench. Curd is 41 years old too folks,
so don't think for a second that if you've had a couple kids, and
you're over 30 that you can't still get your bench up.

If you're interested in getting some top-notch coaching on your
bench press, Curd is hosting a bench press seminar on August 29th
2009.

Check it out:

http://www.fitnesswarehouse.ca/Bench_seminar.html

Spaces are limited to just 6 people, and at $75 it is an absolute
steal. I've paid over $250 for similar seminars in the past, and
while the mantra of you get what you pay for is almost always true,
I will personally guarantee that when you leave Curd's seminar, you
will agree that you would have paid easily double or triple what
Curd is charging for it.

On top of the low price and everything you're going to learn, Curd
is also throwing in for free:

1. 6 week detailed training program - $75 Value
2. NeoGenixx Performance Supplement Package - $75 Value
3. Bench Freak T shirt -$20 Value

So what's the catch?

Well I'm pretty sure, that once you meet Curd, and you realize how
awesome he is, you'll probably return to his store to pick up your
protein powders, essential fats, basic multi-vitamin / multi-
minerals and anything else you might need.

So yeah, I think that's the catch, but it's a win-win.

So if you've been struggling with your bench, head on over to:

http://www.fitnesswarehouse.ca/Bench_seminar.html

and sign up right away.

Until next time,

:)
Shane Miller, CFT, CSN
Your Strength and Fat Loss Coach
http://www.your-beach-body-boot-camp.com
http://www.your-strength-and-fat-loss-coach.com


P.S. that link once again is:
http://www.fitnesswarehouse.ca/Bench_seminar.html

Your Beach Body Boot Camp Day 3 Review by Katy Sinha

Day 3 boot camp this morning and I was expecting thunder storms and buckets of rain early morning but somehow we were spared.

Your Beach Body Boot Camp

Dynamic Stretching

New drills were added to our routine which worked upper body more. I've now started to identify some areas of my body that are my 'weak' spots. My lower back has long been a trouble area due to an old injury so I'm really enjoying all the killer abs exercises. Not that I love actually doing the crabwalk and all variations of the plank (didn't know Shane could come up with so many ways to make the plank new again), but I can feel my core tightening again. This is, of course, a blessed feeling after having had my 2nd baby only eight months ago.

Your Beach Body Boot Camp

Kettlebells

More on this plank exercise... Shane had us down on the ground, face in to the dewy grass with elbows and toes touching ground. This is the basic plank pose. THEN, he says "now lift your right hand up to the sky by rotating your core up, then come back down and rotate your right arm straight under your left shoulder... that's ONE repetition. Do ten on each side." Of course, he makes it look quite easy as though it would fit into a yoga class. I did my ten repetitions and knew that I'd be hurtin' around my shoulder blades after this one.


I'll let you know how I'm feeling after this Thursday's day 4.

Katy


Please post your comments about the videos or Katy's review by clicking the Comments link at the end of this article.

I'll be back tomorrow with Katy's review of Day 4.

Until then,

Shane Miller, CFT, CSN
www.your-beach-body-boot-camp.com
www.your-strength-and-fat-loss-coach.com

Boot Camp Review Core Training and Yummy Muffins

Welcome to newsletter issue #55. In part 1 we're going to get into the meat and potatoes of developing a strong and healthy core. In part 2 you'll hear about Day 2 of Your Beach Body Boot Camp from guest blogger Katy Sinha, and in part 3 you'll get my super healthy muffin recipe.

Enjoy!

Part 1

Question:

I’ve had low back pain in the past and I suspect it has to do with my not knowing how to lift properly, and that I have a fat tummy and probably very little abdominal strength. So (1) how do I turn my fat tummy into hard muscles, (2) work my abdominal core, and (3) not hurt my back in the process?

From Steve, Midland, ON

Answer:

Hi Steve,

You’ve listed three great questions there. With respect to not knowing how to lift properly, to fully answer that question is a full article in itself, which I will leave to a future newsletter. So without going in to the mechanics of how to lift properly, knowing how to protect your back when you lift or train your abs or back is vitally important, so let’s get into it.

Protecting Your Back While Training

When you stand with good posture, the natural lordotic curve of your spine is the same curve you should maintain while you lift. When you train your abs, depending on the movement, you want to maintain either the same lordotic curve or a slightly flexed spine.

To make sure your spine is protected when you’re lifting or training abs or back, you need to brace your whole midsection using the Val Salva manouever. Essentially, you take a deep breath, bear down hard, lock up your abdominal muscles and actually apply pressure outward against your abs. Do NOT pull your navel towards your spine as is frequently but incorrectly taught.

Protecting your back while training the abdominals is really not that difficult, but there is so much confusion, and a lot of it really comes from a lack of education as to what the muscle groups are and how they function. So let’s get a little bit of anatomy going here.

First, there are four abdominal muscles.

1. Rectus Abdominus

2. External Oblique

3. Internal Oblique

4. Transverse Abdominus

The (1) rectus abdominus helps you flex your spine like when you do crunches (which is a waste of time by the way). The (2) external and (3) internal obliques help you to twist, and more importantly help you to resist twisting. They can also help you to flex your spine too. The (4) transverse abdominus, when used correctly, braces your midsection making it stiff, solid and able to resist forces that would flex, extend, or twist it, and finally transmit external forces towards the extremities.

The transverse abdominus (TVA) is the muscle that gets people so confused. First, we get silly fitness instructors yelling out “Recruit that TVA!” to their participants. Get real man! Who the heck is going to know how to flex their transverse abdominus anyway?!?

Some smarty-pants then went and looked up the anatomy and function of the TVA and came back with the then-wise, but now-not-so-wise instruction to pull your navel towards your spine.

This is the problem with text-book ONLY education. Yes, the TVA does attach in part in the front to the linea alba, and in part in the back to the thoracolumbar fascia, which means that yes drawing your navel towards your spine does activate the muscle.

But folks, simple “activation” of this muscle is not what we’re after when trying to protect your spine. We’re after an inborn, instinctive, maximum effort recruitment of every single muscle fiber in your TVA. We’re talking about generating massive, life-saving muscle tension if necessary. While it is an instinctive process when needed, the key is to learn how to apply it day-to-day when lifting or carrying heavy objects or, of course, working out.

So whether you’re flipping heavy tires at my boot camp, doing a heavy deadlift or squat in the gym, or picking up your kid, trust me on this one.. do the same thing every time! Brace hard, and use the val salva manouever.

If you’re concerned about the safety of the Val Salva manouever, better not let your wife deliver your baby vaginally, as she’ll be engaging the Val Salva manouever for 10-15 seconds at a time for up to 2 hours to push your baby out.

It’s quite simple. If you’re not using abdominal bracing and the Val Salva manouever, start, or risk injury. Your choice!

Turn Your Fat Tummy Into Rock Hard Muscles

The truth is, unless you’re Jesus, just like you can’t turn water into wine, you can’t turn fat into muscle. But, you can burn off your fat tummy and turn your soft, thin, weak abdominal muscles into slabs of rock hard beach-ready abs!

Burning off your fat tummy is simply a matter of expending more calories than you consume. I’ve covered this quite a bit recently so I won’t get into it too much here, but 2-3 good hard sessions of weight training each week, plus 2-3 sessions of metabolic fatigue training such as www.your-beach-body-boot-camp.com will do it.

Turning your soft, thin, weak abdominals into slabs of rock hard beach-ready abs requires the right training.

Before you think we’re going to have you jumping into hanging leg raises, and dragon flags, or any other crazy abdominal exercises, you have to understand the types of contractions you should and shouldn’t be doing and the progressions required to train your abs safely.

Static Contraction

The first exercises that need to be learned are exercises in which you use your abdominal muscles to resist externally applied forces.

Simple examples of Static Contraction exercises include:

- Front plank

- Side plank

- Reverse plank

- 1-Arm heavy dumbbell holds

In these exercises you are using your abdominal muscles to resist the force of gravity. Intra-abdominal pressure is maintained via the Val Salva manouever. Gradually build the length of time you can hold them. Once you can hold each of them for at least one minute, you can move into your first progression.

During any static contraction exercise, obviously you aren’t going to hold the Val Salva manouever for the entire duration. Instead, you allow short but shallow bursts of air to escape, and then you quickly pull it back in. The reason for the short, shallow breaths is to keep at minimum the movement of your midsection. Under a heavy load, if you were to exhale fully, you would be unable to maintain tension in your muscles. By allowing just enough air to escape, and then rapidly pull enough back in you are able to maintain the stiff position of your body.

If you ever feel dizzy from this, rest some, and then try again. Your cardiovascular system adapts quite well to this, allowing for significant and safe intra-abdominal pressure to protect your spine.

Progressions

Your first progression would include using other externally applied forces such as a plate on your back; your training partner pushing sideways on your hips; or even lifting a hand or foot just an inch or two off the floor. Make sure whichever progression you use, you maintain the same strict position as before. Do not let your body sag or shift out of place under the external force.

Stabilizing During Dynamic Movement

Now that you have a pretty good ability to brace your abs and resist externally applied forces, the next stage of abdominal training is to learn to brace your abs during dynamic movement of your extremities.

Simple examples of such exercises include:

- Floorclimbers

- Mountainclimbers

- Farmer’s walk unevenly loaded

- 1-Dumbbell front squats

- Dumbbell suitcase deadlifts

- 2-Arm Kettlebell pulls

These exercises teach you to use your abdominals to brace your spine during fast and forceful movements of your arms, legs, and hips.

Dynamic Stabilization During Dynamic Movement

Finally, exercises in which you actually use your abdominals to create movement as well as to stabilize your midsection are the next ones you will learn.

Simple examples include:

- Hanging leg raises

- Dragon flags

- Incline reverse crunches

- Incline leg raises

- Band crunch-downs to floor

- Blast Strap fall-outs

- Blast Strap oblique planks

- Kettlebell or 1-Dumbbell clean & press

During all of these movements your abdominals are always providing dynamic stabilization while helping to create the necessary movements of the spine. At all times, intra-abdominal pressure is maintained via the Val Salva manouever.

Here’s a sample 8 week abdominal strengthening program that a beginner could use. By the end of the 8 week program, this person will have significant abdominal strength and abdominal muscle thickness. Don’t worry, this type of abdominal muscle thickness, doesn’t make you look “thick” around the waist, instead, when body fat levels drop enough, it gives you the nice etched midsection look.

Sample abdominal Exercise Program

The prescribed exercises would be done 3 times per week, and could be tagged onto the end of your regular exercise routine.

Week	Exercise	Sets/Reps/Time	Progressions
1	Front plank Side plank	2 x 20 seconds 2 x 15 seconds
2	Front plank Side plank Reverse plank	2x40 seconds 2x30 seconds 1x20 seconds
3	Front plank Side plank Reverse plank	2x30 seconds 2x40 seconds 2x20 seconds	10lbs added
4	Front plank Side plank 1-Arm heavy DB hold	3x40 seconds 2x50 seconds 2x30 seconds x 20lbs	10 lbs added & lift alt. feet
5	Floorclimbers Side plank Reverse plank	2x20 reps 2x60 seconds 2x30 seconds
6	Floorclimbers T-Twists 1-Arm heavy DB hold	2x25 reps 5-10 ea. side 2x45 seconds x 25lbs	Increase weight
7	Floorcilmbers Farmer’s walk	3x25 reps 2x60 steps x 15lbs + 30lbs	Increase weight
8	Mountainclimbers 1-DB Farmer’s walk Reverse plank	3x20 reps 3x60 steps x 30 lbs 3x30 seconds	Add weight

This is just a sample 8 week program, and while it is good and effective, it is far from all inclusive. There is so much more to complete core training than can possibly be covered in just a newsletter.

Last year a client of mine stumbled upon an abs program called Combat Core by Jim Smith, CSCS, and my client asked me if it was any good. Well it was so good, I ended up buying my own copy. If you like the information I’ve provided in this article on abdominal training, but you want even more information and more great abdominal training programs, you won’t find anything even remotely as good anywhere as Combat Core.

Jim Smith, the creator of Combat Core has worked with thousands of athletes of all different sports, and most recently helped prepare UFC competitor Tom Lawlor for his victorious fight at UFC100 last month.

Anyway, if you’re looking to get arguably the best information on abdominal training anywhere, Combat Core is for you.

Go HERE! to grab Jim’s Combat Core product.

Just a quick note: I've had enough people ask me for a really comprehensive product on abs, but putting together something like Jim's Combat Core would take me probably a year with the time I can commit to it. And truthfully, it would be tough to put together a better program myself. So if you don't want to wait for my product, get Jim's.

Part 2

Guest Blogger Katy Sinha on Day 2 of

www.your-beach-body-boot-camp.com

OK! I am impressed. Just finished day 2 of boot camp this morning and 7am did not seem as early as the first day.

The Battling Ropes of Death

As I expected, Shane gave us all a sense of what we can expect in future sessions. Each boot camp session will be getting progressively tougher. He's good... here we are all returning because we're feeling good... at the same time, we're getting tougher, both mentally and physically.

Throughout camp this morning, I could hear cheers of support and words of encouragement when the drills were getting tougher. 'Cause it's true, I wouldn't be doing this alone! Such 'grunty' drills... it's fun to do it with a group though.

I even heard someone mention that we should celebrate the end of boot camp with a martini party! So, we must be having fun!!

More after DAY 3

Katy

Part 3

Awesome Protein Muffins

If you’re expecting the taste of those super heavy, junky, sugar and fat laddened muffins you can buy at commercial bakeries, then this recipe is not for you.

But if you want a muffin recipe where each muffin by itself is a healthy, nutritious snack, that still tastes good even with all the healthy stuff in it, then you’ll love it!

A couple things about the recipe.

1. If you find it a little dry, add a bit of water or milk. Start with an oz at most and then make adjustments the next time depending on your preferences. We had to make the recipe about 4 times before we found the exact combination we liked the most.

2. If you want more protein, add more eggs or protein powder. (protein powder makes it drier, so use less oats and/or add some milk or water to compensate.

3. If you want less carbs, use less oats.

4. If you want less fat, use less butter and/or coconut oil

Wet ingredients

¼ cup of soft coconut oil

¼ cup of soft butter

8-10 ripe bananas

6 eggs

1 tbsp Vanilla extract

3 Dry ingredients

3 cups of oats

7 scoops protein powder

1 cup chopped walnuts

¼ cup ground flax seed (grind in coffee grinder)

½ cup dried coconut (unsweetened)

1 pinch salt

1 tsp magic baking powder

1 cup frozen raspberries or blueberries or 1 cup of chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. In separate dishes, thoroughly mix wet and dry ingredients, then combine.

3. Bake at 350 for approximately 25minutes

Makes 24 muffins

Nutrition Facts per muffin:

Optional Ingredient:	1 Cup Frozen Berries	1 Cup Chocolate Chips
Total Calories (kcal)	226	296
Protein (g)	13	15
Carbohydrate (g)	18	29
Fat (g)	11	15

So that’s it for issue #55

If you have any questions, or comments, please leave them below in the comment section.

Until next time,

Shane Miller, CPT,CSN

Your Strength and Fat Loss Coach

www.your-beach-body-boot-camp.com

www.your-strength-and-fat-loss-coach.com