Crunches.  The go-to core exercise for a lot of gym goers. Yet, it’s one of the worst ab exercises you can do. Shocking, I know. You’re probably wondering why it’s one of the worst. Crunches put force on your spine and oftentimes strain on your neck. They force your spine into flexion, which is generally what people are told not to do in order to protect their back. Aside from the pressure it puts on your spine, crunches don’t activate your core muscles to the extent that a lot of other dynamic core exercises do. If your goal is to have sculpted abs like a lifeguard on Baywatch, crunches are not your solution. Aside from the aesthetic aspect, a strong core is important for your body’s balance and stability, posture, and reduction of back pain and other injuries. If you want to develop a rock hard core, here is a list of exercises better than the old fashioned crunches that you can start incorporating into your workouts: The Hard Style Plank Put your forearms on the ground and your arms set shoulder width apart. Your arms should be parallel to your body. Once you’re up in the plank, imagine squeezing your elbows to your knees and your knees to your elbows. Don’t be surprised if you start shaking like a leaf as soon as you create that tension. Dead Bugs Lie on your back with your arms straight up and your hands above your shoulders. Bend your legs at a 90-degree angle with your toes facing up at the ceiling. Imagine pushing your belly button into the ground and keeping your body tight enough to where if someone was pulling on your limbs, you’d be able to resist it. Next extend your right arm and left leg at the same time, without touching the ground. Keep pushing your belly button into the ground to avoid arching your back. The right leg that is still bent should stay completely still while the other leg is in motion. Bring your arm and leg back into the start position and then switch sides. When it comes to Dead Bugs, one of our favorite sayings applies: “Slowly is holy. Faster is disaster.” If you want to increase the intensity, add a kettlebell to the stationary arm. If you want to significantly increase the intensity, press the kettlebell once you’ve reached the fully extended position. Reverse Crunches Lie down flat with your back on the floor and your legs straight down, toes pointed up. Press your lower back into the floor and pull in your belly button as you lift your legs together up off the floor. Push your heels through the ceiling at the top and slowly lower them back to the ground. Fun, right? Double Kettlebell March Hold two heavy kettlebells in the racked position. Pull your belly button to your knees and your knees to your belly button to find max tension in your core. Once you feel that tension, slowly lift one knee up 90 degrees and then switch legs. Hollow Rocks I’ve saved the worst (I mean best) for last. Lay down on the ground with your legs a little bit off of the ground as well as your shoulder blades and head. With arms extended over your head, rock back and forth like a banana rocking back and forth on a counter. Or a see-saw…take your pick. Alright, now that I’ve given you the secret sauce to getting rock hard abs, it’s time to get to work people!

Why would someone choose small group training over one-on-one personal training, group fitness classes, or a standard big box gym membership?

A common misconception about lifting this heavy is that it will create a bulkier appearance. The truth is, it’s not that simple.

Muscular endurance is a phase of training that focuses on improving the ability of muscles to sustain repeated contractions over a long period of time. This phase of training involves high repetitions of 12-20 reps and 2-3 sets at a lighter weight.

What is tempo lifting and why should we incorporate it into our programs?

The price for personal training varies widely across the nation with the average price per hour being $55. For quality personal trainers, you should expect to pay somewhere between $75 and $150 per hour for a one-on-one session depending on the location. A personal trainer in Los Angeles will charge significantly more than a personal trainer in Melbourne, Florida. This price range also depends heavily on the personal trainer’s education, experience and ability to get results.

The Missing Ingredient In Most Training Programs

Many training programs are based on a percentage of the One Rep Max of a given lift. However, we don’t believe there’s any need or benefit to attempting your 1RM to determine your maximal strength. We’ve helped hundreds of men and women significantly improve their strength (over 100 lbs in a lift) without ever attempting a 1RM. Unless you’re a competitive powerlifter, you’re able to determine your maximal strength without testing your 1RM. This will also help you determine the effectiveness of your strength program. Professional weightlifters and powerlifters are extremely cautious about testing their 1RM and most of them only test their personal records (PR) in the most important competitions. For most professional lifters, they will only test themselves once or twice a year. If your goal is to improve your strength but you aren’t a competitive lifter, why should you risk injury by testing your 1RM? Once you know your 2RM, 3RM or 5RM, you can accurately predict your 1RM to help in writing yo ur training program. Below is our 1RM Calculator based on the formula provided by Jim Windler’s 5/3/1 program (rounded to the nearest 5 lbs).

How to Increase Muscle Tone When we ask someone about their fitness goals, one of the most common responses is “I want to tone up.” This is usually followed up by a comment about not wanting to get bigger from lifting weights . Increasing muscle tone typically is the result of 2 components: increasing lean muscle and decreasing body fat resulting in more definition for your muscles. Everyone is different and some people will lose weight without increasing muscle tone while others may increase muscle tone but not lose weight. We all have lean muscle mass and our body fat is like the hoodie that hides our muscle tone. If you can remove the hoodie (body fat), the muscle tone becomes more visible. Increasing the amount of lean muscle on your frame doesn’t mean you’ll get bigger or heavier, but it will help change your body composition. Your body composition has more to do with your muscle tone than your body weight. If you received 10 pounds of money every payday, you suddenly care if the 10 pounds is made of pennies or twenties. The same holds true for your body weight. What matters more is your body composition as this controls your muscle tone. Strength training 2 to 3 times each week will help increase your lean muscle mass. Improving the quality and quantity of your nutrition will help you reduce body fat. Adding weekly strength training and improved nutrition will help you feel better and improve your muscle tone.