Week six of our pre-Christmas fat-destruction programme and it's time to work those abs, says Gary Dawkins, from Dunedin fitness trainers Creative Conditioning.
The six-pack! Even better, the eight- or 12-pack! Yes, the abdominals - the area of the body where fat seems to accumulate first and leave last.
And the area that has launched 1000 TV commercials, promising great abs in just minutes a day.
If only it was this easy.
Unfortunately, the body does not achieve spot reductions, removing body fat from a particular area just because that area is exercised.
The underlying muscle will be worked but if there is still excess body fat over the muscle, you will not see any sign of a six-pack emerging.
We are now at the stage in our programme where you will have destroyed fat from your mid-region, so the inclusion of abdominal exercises will now allow the muscle definition to emerge.
It is important to exercise the lower back and oblique muscles so that the entire mid-region is strengthened evenly. A sure way to develop an injury is to exercise your abdominal muscles intensively while performing no lower-back exercises.
WEEK SIX
E1A (Endurance 1 advanced): Walk 50 minutes with hills included or bike for 50 minutes with hills included or aqua jog for 40 minutes and swim lengths for 15 minutes.
E2 (Endurance 2): Walk 40-50 minutes and power walk (as fast as you can) each second lamppost or jog 4 minutes and walk 3 minutes for 50 minutes or bike 3 minutes fast and at the highest gear for 5 minutes and cruise for 5 minutes for 50 minutes.
E3 (Endurance 3 advanced): Complete E2 plus jog a total of 10 minutes or ride a hill for 10 minutes at the end.
BW2 (Body Weight 2): Complete body weight wall squat (photo 1) for 3 sets of 20-60 seconds, complete decline lunge (photo 2) for 3 sets of 12-18 repetitions, complete 2 sets of reverse arm pulls (photo 3) for 12-20 repetitions, complete 2 sets of incline press ups for 6-16 repetitions, complete 2 sets of standard dips for 6-15 repetitions.
BW3 (Body weight 3): Complete reverse lunges for 3 sets of 16-24 repetitions, complete decline full press ups for 3 sets of 12-18 repetitions, complete decline lunges advanced for 3 sets of 16-26 repetitions, complete advanced dips for 3 sets of 12-18 repetitions, complete wall squats advanced for 2 sets of 30-60 seconds on each leg.
IN1 (Interval 1): Choose a staircase that has about 100 steps and complete a power walk up by stepping on every step and then walk back down slowly (complete this 5 times today)IN1A (Interval 1A): Complete IN1 6-8 times and run some (or all) if you can.
S1 (Stretch 1): Spend 15 minutes stretching today: stretch the hamstrings (back of the upper legs), the calf muscles, the chest and the back.
C1 (Core 1): complete 3 sets of straight back sit ups for 6-12 repetitions, complete 2 sets of lying abdominal leg cycles for 2 sets of 10-20 repetitions, complete 2 sets of prone abdominal hold (photo 4) for 30-60 seconds.
C2 (Core 2): Complete 4 sets of straight-back sit-ups with twist for 14-30 repetitions. Complete 4 sets of leg cycles advanced for 20-36 repetitions. Complete 3 sets of prone abdominal holds for 45-120 seconds.