A Full Body Workout that Shreds Your Abs Without Ab Isolation Exercises

Try this workout below to get a killer full body workout at the same time that you indirectly work your abs hard.
by Zach Even-Esh, Certified Trainer, Founder - Underground Strength Gladiator Training

A lot of effort and thought is placed into ab exercises that isolate and work the abs. But, the good news is that there are many exercises that work your entire body AND your abs intensely at the same time.
This workout is perfect if you're busy as well as economical. I like to call this training economics: do only what works very effectively and gives you the most bang for your buck.
Check out some of my favorite exercises that will work your entire body AND your abs intensely. On the flip side, this does NOT mean to skip exercises that target your abs deeply.
All you need is 1 or 2 dumbbells for the exercises below. These exercises can be performed at the beginning of a workout or at the end.  You'll see at the bottom that we added a sample workout for how to incorporate these tough full body and ab training drills into a great workout.

Exercise 1:  1-Arm Overhead Dumbbell Walk:
Press 1 dumbbell overhead and lock out your arm. Keep your arm close to your ear, tighten your entire core, shoulder and back. This exercise is to be performed slowly and under complete control.
Walk for distance, anywhere from 100 – 200 feet with the dumbbell overhead. A heavier dumbbell will cut down on the distance you can walk and should be reserved for those who are experienced under heavy weights. Start light and be smart. Switch hands mid way through the walk to ensure equal work is done for each side.
Your arm should be perfectly vertical when carrying the dumbbell overhead. Often times people will allow the dumbbell to sway slightly forward which will NOT strain the abs intensely.
Try 2 sets for each arm, 100 – 200 feet for distance in total for each set.


Exercise 2:  Dumbbell Farmer Walks:
Stand in between two moderately heavy dumbbells and deadlift them up. Grip the dumbbells tightly, brace your abs and lower back and squeeze the weights all the way up. This intense squeezing forces the abs to contract intensely. Not only will your abs become very strong and tight from all this squeezing, but it also strengthens the back and reduces your chances of lower back injuries.
Once you have the dumbbells at your sides, make sure your posture is tall and your shoulders and tight. Speed walk the dumbbells 100 – 200 feet in distance, come to a complete stop and slowly deadlift the weights down.
You can carry the dumbbells in a straight line or in a zig zag fashion which can also strain the obliques very intensely.
2 sets of 100 – 200 feet per set is great. You can perform these exercises at the beginning or end of a workout. Or, begin your workout with 1 arm overhead dumbbell walks, then perform your regular workout, and finish the workout with 2 hard sets of dumbbell farmer walks.


Try this workout with the two exercises I just explained:
1) Arm Overhead Dumbbell carry 2 x 100 feet each hand
Superset all 3 below:
2A) Pull Ups 3 x max reps
2B) Walking Bodyweight Lunges 3 x 10 each Leg
2C) Push Ups w/Feet Elevated 3 x max reps
3) Dumbbell Farmer Walks 2 x 200 feet
Superset both exercises below:
4A) Plank 1 x 30 seconds
4B) side plank 1 x 30 seconds each Side
Enjoy the killer workout!
Zach Even–Esh is the owner of The Underground Strength Gym in Edison, NJ and the author of The REAL Man Muscle Building System.
Check out Zach's badass website here:
Underground Strength Gladiator Training  

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The Secret of the Properly Balanced Post-Workout Meal for Fat Loss & Muscle Building

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
I'm sure you've heard before that your post-workout meal is actually your most important meal of the day (aside from breakfast).
I'd have to agree with that for the most part because refueling your body with the right combination of nutrients is SOOOOO vastly important to repairing your muscles from the breakdown of a workout, and keeping your metabolism sky high.
From the research about post-workout meals:
"A recent 12-week study says that those who failed to consume a post workout meal immediately after their workouts suffered a lower metabolism, loss of fat free mass, and had clear indications of muscle loss - while their counterparts (those who consumed a post workout recovery meal) significantly lost more fat, increased lean muscle, improved their metabolism, and increased dynamic strength."
I've noticed that many people are confused as to what actually makes a good post-workout meal. A couple common questions about post workout meals:
1. Aren't post-workout meals just important for building muscle? Do they matter at all if my goal is fat loss?
2. Is it best to use one of the fancy post-workout drinks or shakes that you see in the magazines or is a whole food meal better? What's the best combination of carbs to protein to fat in a good post workout meal?
3. How quickly after a workout is best to consume my post workout meal?

Answers:
1. Post-workout meals are important for BOTH muscle building and fat loss!
Always remember that one of the most important aspects of long term fat loss and maintaining a lean body for life is raising your overall metabolic rate by building and maintaining adequate lean muscle mass throughout your body.
By consuming a proper post workout meal after every workout, you assist your body in repairing and building lean muscle throughout your body. The more lean muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate... hence, you lose fat easier, and it is MUCH easier to stay lean long term.
2. Whole foods or supplement shakes? This can be done either way, but I'm going to show you some guidelines why some post-workout shakes are better than others and some whole foods are better than others. Either way, you can make it work.
First, keep in mind that your goal throughout the majority of each day is eating small whole food meals frequently that digest slowly with high fiber and a controlled glycemic response (blood sugar). These normal daily meals should also contain healthy fats and slowly digested proteins to keep a steady supply of amino acids.
Well, when it comes to post-workout meals, you can almost use the exact opposite strategy of your normal meals. With post-workout meals, you actually want a faster digesting carbohydrate source to elicit an insulin response, which surges nutrients and glycogen back into your muscles for repair.
So while I always preach high fiber for most of your meals, with post-workout, you actually want low fiber, high GI carbs, and quickly digesting proteins as well for muscle repair.
Another aspect to keep in mind... while I always preach healthy fats at most of your meals... with the post workout meal, you actually want almost all carbs and protein, and very little fat if any. Fat just slows the absorption and glycemic response which is not what you want with the post-workout meal.
What about ratios of carbs and protein?
I've reviewed dozens and dozens of studies on this subject and it always seems to come back to a ratio of approximately 2 to 1 carbs to protein (up to possibly 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein). This seems to be the optimal combination to maximize muscle repair to boost that metabolism for long term fat loss.
I usually make my post-workout shakes using a frozen banana, whey protein, water, and some real maple syrup and aim for about a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein.
If you want to make things simpler, one of the best post-workout shakes that I've found is Prograde's Varsity Post-Workout mix. Check it out at:
http://getprograde.com/workout
3. How quickly should you eat (or drink) your post-workout meal?
As soon as you can after your workout (the sooner the better)!
Studies show that the sooner you consume your post workout meal following your intense workout, the better your muscle recovery will be, and a higher percentage of the carbs ingested will be used for muscle glycogen replenishment instead of other uses.
The first thing I do when I get back from the gym is make my post workout shake, and this is about 10 min after finishing my workout.
Make sure to check out some of the other research about post-workout recovery meals at:
http://getprograde.com/workout
Alright, I'll be back soon with more Lean-Body Secrets. Til then...
Don't be lazy... Be lean!
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - TruthAboutAbs.com

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