Ian Kenney

Experimental Ab Workout

Here’s a post for some people who were wondering about the ab workout sequence I came up with that near-crippled me today.

Here’s the recipe:

1)  Lie on your back, on a mat. Start with 10lb plate between feet, arms to the ceiling (much like V-Up Roll-Ups in P90X).  Do V-Ups to fatigue OR 25 reps.  Increase weight to 25 lbs. when 10 lbs. gets too easy.

2) Start P90X Ab Ripper X, and go up until the Fifer Scissors for some quicker-motion exercises.

3) Find a back hyperextension bench (looks like this).  Take a 10 lb. weight, and lie ON your lower back, NOT on your quads/thighs facing the ground so you bend backward from the waist off the machine.  Lift right leg up, extend right arm slowly behind the head with 10 lb weight extended, bending torso back until you feel intense contraction in the abs.  Bring weight into shoulder, to chest, then down to the side to end repetition to avoid injury.  Switch legs.  Do 10 reps per side, alternating legs (one left, one right, one left, one right up to 10 per side). 

4) Find a pull-up bar, hang underhanded and bring legs upward to form a 90 degree angle at the waist - hold legs in this position (don’t forget to breathe, it’s difficult!) for no less than 10 seconds, aim for 20-30 if possible, then bring legs down.  Do three times.  For a more intense experience I put a 10lb weight between my feet at times.

5) Take a comfortable weight (I a use 45 lb plate for this).  Stand shoulder width apart.  Hold weight at your right side, extend the left arm up above the head, keeping the arm straight at all times.  Drop the weight in the right hand as close to the floor on the side of your foot as possible (body alignment is important).  A stretch should be felt on your left side.  Explode upward with the weight using oblique muscles and return to standing position.  Do 7-10 reps on this side, then switch the weight to the other side.  You will feel different contractions on sides of the body during each repetition.

Total time for this sequence took me 30 minutes with brief breaks in-between (no more than two minutes).

Enjoy!

E-mail ikenney110@gmail.com with questions!

February 2011 - Current Supplementation Regimen

This is for a typical workout day - on my off days I usually don’t take anything, I use that day for carbohydrate loading.

Morning:
- 4g L-Arginine (to set initial boost of N.O. in bloodstream for the day)

• USPLabs Force Factor is also a substitute, highly recommended (but $$$!)

- 1/2 full scoop of Nitro Peak (to kickstart metabolism)
- 500mcg Chromium (to increase metabolism)
- One-A-Day Men’s Multivitamin (because Nitro Peak is not a meal replacement, just a protein complex)

Pre-Workout:
- 30 minutes before; I rotate between these products (personal rating included) - for energy, focus, elevated N.O. levels, and caffeine to increase heart rate and metabolism.

• USPLabs Jack3d [9/10]
• GNC Ravage (just started using this product on 2/3, highly recommend) [9/10 based on one use]
• N.O. Explode NT [8/10](stick packs are GREAT)
• MuscleTech NaNo Vapor Pro Series [7.5/10]
• SuperPump 250 [7/10 - beware the “intestinal discomfort”!]
• GNC N.O. Loaded [6/10 - taste/mixing is major drawback]

Post-Workout (WITHIN 30 MINUTES, NO EXCEPTIONS):

• Full scoop of either Nitro Peak (Parisi Speed Schools), Syntha-6 (BSN), or Gold Standard Whey Protein.
• If finances allow, I recommend Cell-Tech by MuscleTech before the protein

2 Hours Post-Workout:

• 5g Free-form L-Glutamine (helps with muscle recovery and post-workout “crash”)

Before bed:

• Depending on how much protein intake I had during meals, I will either take another scoop of a protein supplement, or another 5g of L-glutamine.

***MOST IMPORTANTLY - HYDRATION - 128 OZ+ of water DAILY (about a GALLON)***

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Diet:

My diet is unique in the way that there are certain foods that I avoid at all costs, everything else is “fair game”, keeping within a few special boundaries/considerations.  Here’s a very simple look at my diet logic/rules.

- Avoid any/all chocolate products.

- Avoid any/all carbonated beverages.

- Fat is not necessarily a bad thing to intake (unless it’s saturated), however, if you’re burning it off, you should be taking it in for fuel.  Everything in moderation, though.

- Avoid all white bread.  Wheat/multigrain is the way to go.

- Largest meals should happen earlier in the day, and become lighter as the day progresses.  (I usually take in between 2,500 and 3,500 calories a day, most if it coming with breakfast and lunch).

- GREEK YOGURT.  If you aren’t familiar with it, check it out.

Lastly, a piece of advice, when going into GNC or any other sports nutrition store… they are going to say every product in the store is great or “I’ve had many people say…”.  They just want your money.  Educate yourself about what’s in the products and make your own decisions. 

I will add more to this when I have time, I did this in about 20 minutes over lunch.