Different sorta Abs Challenge?

x 2

Woodchoppers:

Starting position: OK, you can do this one at the gym with light (5lb - 10lb) dumbbells, or at home with bottles of water.  Hold the weight in your right hand.  Stand up straight.  Put your left hand on your left hip.  Now bend over about 45 degrees and let your right hand hang down.  In the bent down position twist your torso, so that your right hand is just about touching your left knee, keeping your legs facing forward.  That's the starting position.  Your right arm should be across your body.

Movement: The exercise is performed by twisting your upper body all the way to the right (your chest should be pointing 90 degrees to the right), keeping your legs facing forward while your hand and arm comes up to where you'd bring it in doing a lateral dumbbell raise (hand and arm pointing straight out, keep a slight bend in elbow).  Do required number of reps.  Repeat for other side.

All the exercise really is, is a lateral dumbbell raise with a torso twist.  It just puts the emphasis of the weight on the obliques and lower back.  You get a little bit of shoulder involvement too, because of the raise. 

If you do these at the gym, you can do the with dumbbells, but the best way to do them is with cables, and you can do them low to high OR high to low (high to low just reverses the positions but the movement is equal and opposite).  I do both on my shoulder/abs day since they involve both.  They're a great little exercise.  They also help strengthen the transverse abdominus, so planks will get easier when you do these too.

Let's doooooooo the Time Warp, AGAAAAAAAAAIIIIIINNNNNNN!!!

Sounds like a great challenge, but with the swimming challenge, I won't commit THIS time around.  Howzabout next month????

Good luck, Q!

I corrected it for myself and totally agree on keeping everyone fired up!

x 3 - I need some motivation after this week long binge...  

I'm in too. I have waaaaay to much middle and this will help me to stay on track.  Thanks. And by the way Steve no fair eating lots of cookies just to make your before pic better worse  

Chris

I'll join this challenge - it will be a good to have a frequent reminder of what I'm eating after the Christmas season is over (I'll start on the 1st but take a pass for 6th because I'm eating a holiday dinner that day.)

Among the contributors to the junk at work was Curves gym. I think they were trying to drum up business. They sent boxes of goodie bags with chocolate and candy into all the wards.

I'm in too! Will this Trixinate my abs?

ChicagoMan65 - Yes, definitely some alternatives.  Lying oblique crunches would be my first suggestion.  Now, if the ones where your legs are in the fetal position and your back is flat would hurt ya, you can try them this way...

Extend your legs all the way out, secure your feet under something heavy (like someone's hands) and lie on your side with your hand behind your head like you were gonna do a situp.  Now crunch up to your side from the floor.  This is an advanced move but it hits the obliques HARD!  It's a Trixie-level exercise. 

If that still hits your back too much, then just do an extra 20 woodchoppers on each side.  That should be OK.

Also, no REAL benefit to twice a day...just part of the challenge.  Certainly won't hurt ya.

Steve - You're right, carbs before bed can be bad.  I usually have a protein shake in 4oz. of skim milk and 2oz. of water.   Some sugar carbs in the milk, but a little bit of lactose in there will help you digest the protein...plus the protein in the milk is a mixture of whey and casein and will help slow down the whey protein digestion and keep your muscles fed thru the night.