Abs weak? Time for EBM’s Ab Week.
The hardest part about most workouts is getting to the gym. Sometimes, getting to the gym is going to be impossible.
Life is always going to intervene.
Work.
Kids.
Family.
Traffic.
Global pandemics.
Having workouts that can be done at home are going to be key. Now, let’s be real for a second. Working out at home sounds great until you try it.
If you have not grabbed your FREE Home Workout Guide, get your by clicking HERE.
There are so many distractions at home and unless you have a dedicated space and are good at blocking off specific times to train, home workouts get sabotaged real easy.
To that point, make sure you have an area that is designated to workout.
Block the time on your calendar just like any other appointment.
Barring emergencies, this is your time and it is not to be interrupted.
When it comes to equipment, you can get by with very little. What are some of the things you should have?
Bands. Bands are a must if you exercise regularly. They are great for home, on the road or at your favorite gym.
Foam roller. Although not part of Ab Week, having a roller at home is a must. They can be used for soft tissue work and, depending on the size, can help with certain exercises.
Exercise ball. While you can do a lot without it, having one opens up a bunch of exercises that cannot be done without it. And, it could also double as a bench for some exercises too.
That’s about it. You may be wondering why I didn’t mention weights. They are awesome and if you have the money and the space, get some. Most people are limited and only a couple of the exercises in Ab Week require weight of any kind.
EBM’s Ab Week was designed to help you get the most out of your home ab workouts. Ab Week was originally shared from April 12th to the 18th, 2020. No matter when you are reading this, the information shared is timeless.
The week is broken up into four days of exercise breakdown and progressions and three days of actual workouts you can do. There are 34 different ab exercises and 6 different workouts for you to follow.
All of these videos are on EBM’s YouTube channel and I will include playlist links for each day.
DAY 1 - ALL ABOUT PLANKS
The goal of day one is to show you how to properly set up when doing planks and how to progress planks as they get easier.
Most people do not set up their planks the right way so their planks look like hot garbage.
This days looks at the following plank exercises:
Modified plank
Modified to front plank
Front plank
Rocking plank
Long-lever plank
Planks with marching (even though it's not really marching)
Planks with arms
Around The World (ATW) plank
*The exercises move from easy to more challenging.
Here is the link to view them, in this order, on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKVfgb5cvw9ebFmWZIdRdbUuFJRBw63DT
DAY 2 - ABS ON THE BALL
If you do not have a ball at home, you are going to have a difficult time performing any of these movements.
Just like the planks on the floor, most people do not set up the right way so all the movements they perform on the ball are less-than-stellar.
The exercises discussed include:
Ball rollouts
Ball planks
Ball plank with marching (this one actually looks like marching)
Ball plank rollouts
Ball plank rollout holds
Ball plank circles
Ball plank circle-rollouts
Ball plank rollout walks
Here is the link to view them, in this order, on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKVfgb5cvw9cYRXr0pApPLCO4v8qP9LbE
DAY 3 - PUSHUP POSITION
The pushup position is a deceptively difficult position to perform many exercises from. And, you get the added bonus of crushing your shoulders and tricep at the same time. Bonus for you!
When setting up, make sure you “screw” your hands into the floor which will help to stabilize the shoulder.
You will also want to reset this stabilization after the arm is moved.
Focus on being deliberate with any of the motions performed. Speed is not necessary. Speed usually creates sloppy reps which is not what you are after.
The exercises include:
Pushup plank
Pushup hip extension
Pushup shoulder extension
Pushup shoulder taps
Pushup T
Pushup Y
Elevator plank
Skullcrusher plank
Pushup walkouts
Pushup KB drag
Here is the link to view them, in this order, on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKVfgb5cvw9dyUf4L8qDedgPktK0KLnZO
DAY 4 - ROTATION AND ANTI-ROTATION
As we get older, we tend to move with less variation. We do not move laterally (side to side) or rotate nearly as much as we do when we are younger.
When we try to perform these movements, they are often done incorrectly. And this is true for not just exercises but also movements performed as part of your daily activities.
As a general rule, when you rotate, your hip and shoulder should turn together. Most rotation is done with the hip and shoulder moving out of sequence.
These exercises start out by teaching you how to resist rotation. I find that people who struggle to rotate properly learn it best by learning how to stabilize first.
Once this is demonstrated with good control, learning how to rotate makes more sense.
The list of exercises include:
Single-arm carry holds
Single-arm carries
Band horizontal press
Band horizontal press holds
Band vertical press
Band vertical press holds
Standing chop
Rotation punch
Here is the link to view them, in this order, on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKVfgb5cvw9dMExJWXhywyRxPT-QcYiQ1
DAY 5-7: AB WEEK WORKOUTS
The last 3 days of EBM’s Ab Week put together workouts using the exercises we discussed over the previous 4 days.
These workouts can be done at the end of your workout as a sweet ab finisher or they can be their own standalone workout.
There you have it. A ton of great content to help work on your abs whether you are home, on the road or at a gym.
Until next time,
Dr. Tom
