Exercise Guide

I was pumping away on the elliptical trainer at the gym, flipping through the channels to find something to distract me from watching the clock. I happened upon an infomercial for Core Secrets, the workout program by trainer to the stars, Gunnar Peterson and his celebrity client, Brooke Burns. Their program centers around strengthening of the “core” muscles, quickly accelerated with the use of a balance ball (also known as a fit ball or stability ball). I’ve played around with a balance ball for about a year, and agree it can be extremely beneficial in a fitness program. However, I soon bored of the basic exercises that came with the ball and have been allowing my kids to entertain themselves with it. The infomercial intrigued me and I decided to give the Core Secrets program a try.

Gunnar Peterson is very encouraging and reassuring. His exercises feel very effective and it doesn’t take a degree in physics to figure out how to do them. I particularly like the fact that he only does one set of each exercise - I tend to bore easily and this program moves quickly since you don’t spend any great length of time on a particular exercise. He also switches back and forth between muscle groups to allow time to recover.

Brooke Burns demonstrates the exercises in the Fundamentals DVD and is much easier to watch than a peppy, 20 year old blonde who was blessed to be born stick-thin. It’s obvious that she works for her figure - muscular and strong, in a very appealing way. The more advanced DVDs have replaced Brooke with a few other lean, mean, young ladies, but I still did not feel the urge to reach through the screen and choke any of them during the workout.

The workouts are very invigorating. They are short enough that you can’t use the excuse that you don’t have the time, yet they encompass the total body - leaving you to know that you’ve done a good workout at the end. A set of dumbbells (most likely 3 or 5 pounds for starters) is recommended, but as Gunnar points out, you can also use water bottles or canned veggies if dumbbells are not available. Another bonus is the fact that you can “shuffle” many of the workouts, to prevent burn out or to accommodate your specific needs.

The initial set is a steal at $9.95 plus shipping, which includes a high-quality balance ball, food journal, eating plan, flash cards of the basic exercises and two workouts. However, the follow-up shipments are a little steep at $50 for two DVDs. I am not a huge fan of subscriptions, so I was quite pleased to find out that I could cancel at any time, but continue to order additional DVDs, one at a time, for $19.95 plus shipping.

You may also purchase a more complete kit from the beginning, which includes two advanced DVDs in addition to the ball, flashcards, and meal plan. I’ve recently noticed that these kits are available at a variety of department stores, so it is no longer mandatory to go the subscription route.

The initial package includes the Fundamentals DVD, which covers the basic exercises at a nice slow pace, giving you the opportunity to master the technique. The Give Me 20 workout incorporates these basic exercises into your daily routine and is a great beginning strength-training program. .

Future shipments include a 25-minute Full Body Workout which is perfect as a prelude to a cardio workout, a 45-minute Advanced workout, and my favorite thus far: the 45-minute Total Body Challenge, which left me feeling as if I’d really accomplished something!

Overall, I highly recommend the Core Secrets program to anyone interested in strength training, but perhaps a little reserved about getting started. The program will take you from beginner to advanced at your own pace and if combined with a sensible eating plan, a person will definitely see some definition where it counts!

So, to answer the question Is the secret out?? Yes, it is! I’m in love with Gunnar Peterson and Core Secrets!

Dawn Lloyd is the owner/editor of http://www.PersonalFitnesszone.com. Please visit her site for additional product/diet reviews, information, and weight loss and fitness support.

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Having a strong body core is important to almost every function that we perform in our lives. From walking to combing our hair, to swimming or climbing the stairs, a strong body core is the basis for all of our movements.

The core of the body is the entire torso area including the pelvis, back, chest and shoulders.

And it is this mid-section of the body that most movement originates from including the simple act of moving the mouse on your computer.
Without a properly conditioned body core most of us would not be able to perform the most basic of functions and our daily actives would be severely limited.

Training the body core will not only improve the strength of your limbs, it will also improve your posture as well. And while there are many exercises that train different parts of the body core such as the abdominals, not all exercises condition the entire body core.
Additionally, doing exercises that stress only one aspect of your core such as the abdominal muscles can lead to an imbalance of your muscles which can cause strain or injury.

While there are several types of exercises that address the body core such as yoga, Windsor Pilates is one of the few exercise programs which takes a comprehensive approach to conditioning the body core.

Pilates was originally developed by Joseph Pilates - a nurse, in the early part of the 20th century. In trying to help his patients rehabilitate from their illnesses, Joseph Pilates formulated a series of movements that could be practiced within limited confines.

The exercises that Pilates developed consisted of exact movements that require control and good form. He designed hundreds of exercises focusing on “core” muscles - mostly in the stomach and back.

Another aspect of the Pilate’s exercise program is that it emphasizes one’s own body weight for resistance training to build body strength.

A great number of Pilate’s exercises are done lying or sitting on a mat which often imitates movements that are employed in daily life or in sporting activities such as rowing a boat.

Besides conditioning the body core, Pilates exercises offer additional benefits such as:

Helps flexibility

Helps to alleviate back pain

Builds stronger muscles

Reduces stress and tension

Improves your posture

Improves your coordination

Increases range of motion

Improves your balance

A strong body core is important for everyone, both male and female, from a professional athlete to a housewife. And Pilates is a great way to condition your body core, get fit and improve your strength and flexibility.

Winsor Pilates for Core Conditioning

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All About Abs - Ab Training

Exercises for Variety and Development Step by Step Abdominal Training Explained

Concept #1: How Many Times Per Week to Train Abs

Do you remember hearing somewhere that in order to get the abdominals you want; you’ve got to train them everyday? I know I heard that from several sources. None of those sources had super ripped abs.

Fact: Many of the people who DO have ripped abs train them 1-3 times per week.

Train your abs 1-3 times per week. I would recommend training them after a smaller body part workout like chest and biceps and abs, or shoulder, triceps and abs. You can do them on your off days as well. Try to avoid doing them with legs as it’s a major body part. Try to avoid doing them first as you’ll need your stabilizers to be 100% when they are used in other compound exercises.

You probably already know this… your abs can be trained a bit more frequently then most other muscle groups because of two factors:

1. The muscle density is different allowing for different recovery time

2. 99.9% of programs do not encourage you to train abs to muscular failure

You don’t want to train abs to muscular failure for the purpose of this guide.

Concept #2: How Many Exercises Per Session

If you’re like me, you don’t want another session added to your workout that is going to add another 20 minutes to your gym time. But like any other muscle, the abdominals require a bit of stimulation but just enough to grow and change and become stronger.

Unlike other body parts, you won’t be doing countless sessions for abs. In fact…

Use 3-5 exercises per session

That’s all you really need. Use the schedule listed in this guide or just pick 3 different exercises and do 3-5 different exercises per session. You can vary your rest up to 90 seconds.

You’ve got to wonder why people train abs by themselves for 30 or more minutes at a time. That’s crazy! And most of the people coming out of those “Ab Blaster” classes don’t even have abs. They are doing longer sessions for a single muscle group then you ever need to engage in.

Simply put, 3-5 exercises will do just fine.

Concept #3: Using Cardio as A Metabolism Boosting Tool

For maximum fat loss, you should do cardio 4-7 days per week for 30-60 minutes (the amount is variable depending on your results). You could continue running or mix up the type of cardio you do (stationary cycling, stairclimbing, elliptical machines, and other continuous aerobic activities are all excellent fat burners without the high impact and joint stress of frequent running).

If time efficiency is an issue for you, you could perform high intensity interval cardio training and achieve very efficient results with even briefer workouts (20-30 min per sessions, or less, if the intensity is high enough) Once you are satisfied with your level of body fat and your abdominal definition, you can cut back to 3 days per week for 20-30 minutes for maintenance.

Concept #4: Advanced Techniques

Part of this guide is to ensure that you use all the techniques possible in order to achieve the results you want. There are two techniques you can use so that your routine doesn’t become ‘routine.’

1. Tempo Variation: Another way to increase the effectiveness of the training program is to focus on the tempo of the exercise. Tempo just means the speed of the exercise. For example, a 3-1-1 tempo means you’ll take 3 seconds to lower the weight, then you’ll pause for 1 second, and then you’ll lift the weight back up in 1 second.

2. Variety: It’s been said that your body will adapt to any routine within 5-6 workouts. By including many different exercises, it will be impossible to adapt. Not only will your body be continually challenged but the variety will help to ward of getting bored of doing the same things every week, every workout.

3. Multiple Angles: While the abdominals are classified as a ’single’ muscle, that doesn’t mean you can’t work it from a variety of angles in order to achieve the maximum stimulation. Many times an individual will have their upper abdominals developed but are lacking any real “visual” development in the lower abs. Rather then focus on a section of the abdominals, this guide will encourage you to work the muscle from a variety of angles for the best possible stimulation.

Stay tuned for Part 4 that will flat out give you 6 months worth of ab workouts you can do.

Copyright 2006 Marc David

If you can’t wait, the Beginner’s Guide to Abdominal Training is just one bonus book in the Beginner’s Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com Learn how to develop the perfect set of abs, the nutritional secrets that will have you in summer shape and the revolutionary training that eliminates the need for 100+ crunches per day. Proven methods to get your abdominals to show.

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