Fast Fitness - Isometric Abs Training
Friday, February 27, 2009
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM
- Lie flat, face up. Legs out straight, as if standing up. Hold a weight a few inches above the floor with arms outstretched, elbows by your ears.
- Lift the weight a few inches up and down, using your abdominal muscles to prevent your ribs from lifting up and to keep your back from leaving neutral position.
- Keep your lower back close to the floor. This is the key to making this into an effective and functional abdominal retraining exercise. Also prevent the weight from touching the floor (don't drop baby on head).
This video was made by David from Belgium with his baby Aiko, born one year ago today, Feb 27th 2008. Happy Birthday Aiko!
Click the arrow to run. If the video does not load, here is the URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k4zDwce7bE
Watch how David bends well with heels down and upright body to pick up baby Aiko, and gets up again without using hands.
Press your lower back toward the floor and feel your abdominal muscles working strongly. The point of this retraining drill is to have fun learning to hold your spine stable against resistance, learn how to reduce an overly large lower back arch using the floor as a guide, then transfer that knowledge to standing and lifting overhead. This is how your abs are supposed to work in daily life when standing - to prevent the spine from overarching (overextending backward).
- To see baby Aiko's first appearance on Fitness Fixer, click: Fast Fitness - How Abdominal Muscles Prevent Hyperlordosis When Carrying
- For more on using neutral spine in real life see the third expanded edition of The Ab Revolution™.
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Read and contribute your own success stories of these methods. Before asking questions, see if your answers are already here - click labels under posts, links in posts, archives at right, and the Fitness Fixer Index. Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail" (under trumpet) upper right.
For answers to personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions. Limited Class spaces for personal evaluation. Top students may apply to certify through DrBookspan.com/Academy. See Dr. Bookspan's Books.
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Read and contribute your own success stories of these methods. Before asking questions, see if your answers are already here - click labels under posts, links in posts, archives at right, and the Fitness Fixer Index. Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail" (under trumpet) upper right.
For answers to personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions. Limited Class spaces for personal evaluation. Top students may apply to certify through DrBookspan.com/Academy. See Dr. Bookspan's Books.
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Labels: abdominal muscles, arm, children, fast fitness, neutral spine, partner exercise, strength, video/movie
3 Comments:
At Saturday, February 28, 2009 9:08:00 PM,
Brahmanandam said…
It is a light exercise for abs.It is main for chest. It is generally done with dumbbells or barbells for chest.It is secondary for upper abs. I doubt whether it is useful to achieve 6 packs.
At Sunday, March 01, 2009 6:34:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
I had to say this is the most charming "fitness video" I have ever seen. Thank you, Dr. Jolie, for creating a platform that allows us to see fitness working in real life. I find examples such as these to be invaluable.
At Monday, March 09, 2009 5:52:00 PM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
Namaskaaramandi Mr. Ramabrahmanandam. Since you are an engineer, I think you will be delighted how much this different way of doing the exercise uses the abdominal muscles. Instead of letting ribs lift up, which shifts leverage to the chest and shoulder joint, press and maintain the lower back downward to surface. This uses the abdominal muscles strongly and in a functional and healthier way. Maintaining neutral spine when arms are overhead protects the joints of the lower spine, called facets, from injurious compression. In this way, this exercise does two things. It is a strong abdominal exercise for the moment, and an even stronger retrainer for the mind in how to keep neutral spine. It becomes a primary abdominal exercise and primary functional move.
- To read more of the mechanism of how this works, click Throw a Stronger Punch (or Push a Car or Stroller) Using This Back Pain Reduction Technique,
- see a short movie - Fast Fitness - How to Feel Change to Neutral Spine
- and see why it is so important to understand the concept - Prevent Back Surgery.
Make sure to relax your shoulders and keep the effort squarely on the abdominal muscles when changing to this different method. Thank you, Dhanyavaadaalu, for taking time to write. Send photos of your progress with this new and different abdominal retrainer.
Shannon, thank you for seeing the big picture. and your ongoing joyful e-mail updates showing how you use my work for retraining for healthier real life.
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