de Medeiros - Core Fitness Solution

MICHAEL DE MEDEIROS +
KENDALL WOOD, NASM, KING OF ABS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT REIFF

2014 Fair Winds Press

First published in the USA in 2014 by

Fair Winds Press, a member of

Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc

100 Cummings Center

Suite 406-L

Beverly, MA 01915-6101

www.fairwindspress.com

Visit www.bodymindbeautyhealth.com. Its your personal guide to a happy, healthy, and extraordinary life!

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

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Digital edition: 978-1-62788-184-5

Softcover edition: 978-1-59233-640-1

Digital edition published in 2014

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

Cover design by Burge Agency

Book design by Burge Agency

Artwork by Pete Usher

Photography by Robert Reiff

The information in this book is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or medical practitioner. Please see your health care provider before beginning any new health program.

Chapter

SIX-PACK ABS! LOSE YOUR GUT! BLAST BELLY FAT! FLAT ABS FAST! WHITTLE YOUR MIDDLE! GET ABS IN MINUTES! BUILD A SEXY WAIST! GET AN EIGHT-PACK! SLICED ABS IN ONE WORKOUT!

You wont be seeing any of these promises in this book. Why? Because, by purchasing this book youve made a decision that mere promises arent what youre looking for. A complicated workout with dozens of exercises hasnt worked for you. That fitness gadget you bought off an infomercial earned its spot in your garage between your tangled Christmas lights and old VCR. The meal plan you downloaded that promised instant health made you sick. Your gym membership does little more than keep your library card company in the last slot of your wallet. Youve been through the promises. What you want is a solution.

But before you think you found another easy answer, take note: There is no single solution that works for everyone. The answer is a custom solution just for you. But youre the only person who can create that solution.

A magazine cant do it. A product off of late-night television cant do it. Ultimately, even a meal plan and workout are only as effective as the effort you put into them. They, too, are fundamentally flawed because they are made to suit the massesthey simply arent made specifically for you. Even a personal trainer can only react to what youre willing to divulge and, lets face it: Nobodys totally honest with trainers or nutritionists. The only honest conversation you can have when it comes to your appearance, your health and your fitness happens when youre being honest with yourself. Bottom line: The only real solution that will yield results can only come from you.

The last time you were at the gym, someone told you to do four sets of 12 repetitions of a certain exercise. It may have been something you read, something you were told, or something you saw someone else do. Nobody ever said why. You werent told what weight to use for each contraction. You just followed the orders that were given, didnt you? But only you knew when your muscles started to burn. Only you knew what weight was comfortable, what weight was too much, and what weight was pointless to try. Why? Because only you know your body, your commitment to being healthy and the effort youre willing to apply in your quest to achieve it.

Thats why Core Fitness Solution is different from any other fitness plan youve read, heard about or tried. This really is your workoutyou design it, you do the work, you decide the intensity, and you see the results. But results come best when youre fully prepared. Before making your workouts, you need to understand the core, its importance and how it affects nearly every movement you make as an athlete, a weekend warrior, or an everyday person.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR CORE

If you fall prey to the vernacular found in most much-hyped gadgets, books, and magazine articles, youll fall for the half-truth that your core is composed of the six abdominal muscles that seemingly only fitness models ever have. The elusive six-pack is actually made up of one muscle called the rectus abdominis. The appearance of the six distinct muscles comes from connective tissue. The muscles on the sides are called the obliques. While abs are definitely a vital element of your core, the truth is your core is the full circumference of your midsection. Think of it as the middle of your body. The middle, of course, isnt just on the front of your torso; its also on your back and sides. That middle is integral to every step, move, push, pull and stretch you do every day. That is your core. Ultimately, you need to think of your core as the engine in a car: It is responsible for every motion, fast or slow, precise or relaxed, not just looking good.

Just because there are muscle targets mentioned in this book, dont think that you can simply isolate a specific segment of your abs and solely target-train them. Sure, you can emphasize certain areas with certain moves, but if you already have upper abs and want to just train your lower abs, youre not using this book correctly. Please refer to the next section for more direction.

While most other workouts will focus on the aesthetically pleasing muscles in the front, any athlete will tell you without hesitation that a strong core beats ripped abs any day. The best part of Core Fitness Solution, however, is that while were helping you build the core you need, were also making sure your abs pop just as noticeably as any avid gym-goeronly you wont be spending long hours in the gym to do it!

HOW TO USE CORE FITNESS SOLUTION

The following chapters titled Lower Abs, Upper Abs, Obliques, and Total Core are composed of the best exercises for each specific target mentioned. Within each chapter youll find detailed descriptions of each move, intensity tips, beginners advice, and additional information on how to get the most out of your core workouts. Weve designed the plan to be as easy to use as possiblewhile maintaining the promise that you decide your workout. With that said, there are only two rules to follow:

1. Each workout you create must consist of two exercises from each chapter. That means every workout will have eight exercises in total. No more, no less! Because youll be hitting every angle of your core throughout this process, all the typical complications of other workout plans are totally washed away.

2. Each exercise must be done to failure. That means youll be doing eight exercises until you simply cant do them anymore. If you can do a couple of exercises 22 times each, but can only get to 12 on the rest, thats fine. As a general rule, you should try to hit 12 to 24 reps in each set. If you find yourself consistently only managing a few reps on a specific move, you should probably try an easier variation. By the same token, if youre doing 50 reps of the same move every time you do it, its time to graduate to a more advanced move. If youre performing timed exercises, then stay with 15 to 60 seconds; if this is too easy, youll need to select a more advanced move.