Bodyweight Exercises

What's the first thing you think of when someone says "bodyweight exercises"?  Probably pushups and squats, right?  And when someone else says "sit ups," you say "Ugh! I hate sit ups!"  Because everyone hates situps.  They're hard.  They hurt.  They're embarassing (depending on what you ate, and when).  And they aren't all that effective.  But you have to do abdominal exercises, because a big chest and big shoulders with a big belly still looks FAT.

So how can you work your abs without doing situps or using equipment (because that's one of the focuses of this blog: bodyweight exercises without equipment).  Well, one of my favorites - and the one that has given me consistent and quick results - is the V-up.  This is also called the Jack-knife.  I like it because it hits all the muscles of your abs AND throws balance in the mix.

The exercise itself is simple to describe:
    1.  Lie on your back, with your arms extended over your head
    2.  Keeping your legs straight, raise them up.  At the same time, pull your chest up, keeping your arms straight.
    3.  Keep bringing legs and chest up until legs and arms are both pointing straight up, and only your butt is on the floor.
    4.  You should now look like a V or a folded Jack-knife.
From this:

     |_______o___

To this:

       |   \  

        \    o

          \   /

            =

    5.  And back down, to repeat over and over, to flatness.

Like I said, I especially like the fact that this exercise requires you to maintain your balance, so the obliques and the small muscles up and down the back come into play.

This is a pretty advanced exercise.  If you can't do it right away (don't feel bad - it's an exercise the Navy SEALS use during their training!), build up to it:

    1.  Lie on your back in position #1

    2.  Keeping your legs straight, raise them up 6 inches off the ground and hold for 10-20 seconds.
    3.  Lower and repeat.

I try to do these every day.  Talk about igniting the "fire in the belly!"  The V-up is an exercise that will hit your abs hard, but won't wear them out for the rest of the day.  And it is easily integrated into your daily fitness routine.  Plus, I am sure there is a component of setting your chi in motion (if you believe in such stuff.  The V-up is ideally situated to stimulate your tan tien and start the flow of chi.  But I digress...)

The FITNESS Portal: offering the best selection of fitness, nutrition, and sports-specific programs on the web, along with fresh new articles and news and a FREE newsletter!

30 SECONDS A Day To Fitness?? Is it possible? YES! This FREE report shows how!