Look at most gyms in most countries and what will you see? Big guys
with tiny wasp like waists. Yet you look at all of the old time
strongmen who would lift with one hand what today's gym rats would
only dream about with two hands. The old timers never used any machines
to develop their midsection so neither should you. The following
drills will increase your punching power and muscle definition as
well as make you incredibly strong.
Can you see a common thread? Strong, thick waist equals a strong
body. There are other factors regarding strength and how to obtain
it but this article is about midsection training, because martial
artists and strong people alike know that most r power comes from
the core. There are obviously many ways to look at training the
midsection but probably the most beneficial would be a drill that
has now been dubbed "Power breathing". Why is this the
most beneficial you ask? It works the entire midsection and teaches
you the every important art of tension control.
Power Breathing
Where to start: take a breath (about 75% is the recommended amount).
Tense you glutes, pull your ectal sphincter up and tense your
abs as if you were going to take a blow to the midsection. Ok
now you are tight and solid. Expel the air under pressure, how
do you do this? Place your tongue behind your teeth and make a
Tssss sound (as though air is being let out of a tire); you know
that you have it right if you sound like a deflating tyre. While
you are expelling the air, you would find it useful to move your
hands during the drill. Have them start next to as shown in the
pictures below and slowly push them forward until your arms are
fully extended.
While you do this drill, think of turning your body from powder
to pillar; generate as much tension as possible through out your
entire body. This will result in new personal records with all
of your lifts and presses. This drill is the key for a midsection
of solid rock. You should preform this drill for 5 sets of 5 reps
every morning.
TIP: if you want to have good pressing strength then you may
want to try doing a set of 3-5 power breathes a minute before
each set of presses, the same goes for your deadlifts or squats,
just have some rest before you do another set otherwise you will
run a very real risk of reaching fatigue to early.
This next drill is a "Dinosaur" drill if ever I saw
one. It is simple and can be done almost any where outside and
if you do it where people are around then you will not doubt scare
the ever loving hell out of them. I have no other name for it,
so I will call it what it is:
The Kettlebell throw
Pick your kettlebell up and throw it any conceivable way you
want. You can use either 1 or 2 hands, up or down, left or right
you name it and you can do it. Like I said very dinosaur in nature.
Just don't throw your kettlebell into anything harder than grass
or sand as the kettlebell handle could break off; cast iron is
hard but brittle. Andrey Dolgov (a Eastern European boxer, boxing
and kickboxing coach) has his fighters throw light rocks instead,
it is important to throw different weights for better adaptation
of the nervous system, this is where having a whole set of kettlebells
comes in handy.
TIP: do some shadow boxing in between your kettlebell throwing,
as this will help your nervous system and recovery a lot.
The last drill that will have your midsection looking and feeling
like it has been carved out of rock is the legendary "Dragon
Flag". This exercise was a favourite of Bruce Lee; if you
look at any of Bruce Lee's pictures you will see that he had an
evil set of abs that really did look as though he had used a chisel
to carve them out of granite. Let's get started.
The Dragon Flag
Lie down on an exercise bench holding the uprights behind your
head. Try and make your back as flat and solid as possible - you
want to imagine that you have become a piece of wood, be very
solid and strong. Once your back feels as though it is made of
wood bring your knees up towards your chest while pulling on the
bench.
Now inhale and make your body extend toward the ceiling make
sure that you pull hard with your arms. I find that it helps to
think that you are hanging upside down by your feet. One other
thing to remember and get right is that during this drill never
roll onto your neck, always keep the weight on your shoulder blades.
Once upright take a quick breath, and tighten your abs by tucking
in your pelvis. Now I have never been able to maintain a perfectly
straight back until recently but in his book Bullet Proof Abs
(BPA) Pavel Tsatsouline claims, "you will never be able to
maintain a perfectly straight back", just do your best. You
can get away with a slight arch but if you get pain in your back
stop immediately.
Keep your abs and glutes tight, also squeeze your lats and pecs
during this movement it will amplify your strength.
While pulling hard on the bench slowly lower yourself to the
bench. Throughout the drill keep your legs stretched out and toes
pointed. Once you have reached the bottom release the tension
in your body and start all over again.
That was the beginner's version. Next issue I will go over the
advanced version and also another drill that will make you cry
for your mother. Until next time stay strong and keep up the training.
Simon Forsyth was the first Australian to receive his
RKC certification. He has been a humble trainee of strength for
approximately 8 years. He is also set to become a first class
Girevik and the first in Australia to attain the Master of Sports
ranking. He is available for group and private training, he is
also available for consultation by phone or e-mail.
