The Single Best Ab Exercise You Can Do -- And It's Not A Crunch

Enjoy. 

Why does this work so well? As the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy states:

"The roll-out and pike were the most effective exercises in activating upper and lower rectus abdominis, external and internal obliques, and latissimus dorsi muscles, while minimizing lumbar paraspinals and rectus femoris activity."

Translation: The exercise forces your abdominals to work the hardest while your lower back and hip flexors -- areas that can take over in other traditional ab exercises -- are almost completely left out. So while a crunch works your abs but only with help from other areas, the roll-out pike isolates your abs much more effectively.

Week 2 {12 Week Fitness}

Now that Week 1 is published in full, time for Week 2! It is really easy after that, you just alternate the weeks for 10 more weeks! The only thing that changes is the length of cardio. Weeks 1-6: 30 minutes and Weeks 7-12: 40 minutes. To make it easy to follow, here is the entire week of workouts!

Week 2



Day 1: 30 min Cardio+ Lower Body

Upper Legs 

Exercise	Rest	Reps	Sets
Iron Cross	1 minute	12	1
Iron Cross	1 minute	10	1
Iron Cross	1 minute	8	1
Iron Cross	1 minute	6	1
Dumbbell Lunges	None	12	1
Iron Cross	2 min	12	1

Exercise	Rest	Reps	Sets
Dumbbell Squat	1 minute	12	1
Dumbbell Squat	1 minute	10	1
Dumbbell Squat	1 minute	8	1
Dumbbell Squat	1 minute	6	1
Dumbbell Walking Lunges	None	12	1
Dumbbell Squat	2 min	12	1

Lower Legs

Exercise	Rest	Reps	Sets
Rocking Standing Calf Raise*	1 minute	12	1
Rocking Standing Calf Raise*	1 minute	10	1
Rocking Standing Calf Raise*	1 minute	8	1
Rocking Standing Calf Raise*	1 minute	6	1
Calf Raise on a Dumbbell	None	12	1
Rocking Standing Calf Raise*	2 min	12	1

*Use 2 dumbbells instead of a barbell 

Day 2: Cardio + Chest/Triceps

Chest (all done on the yoga ball or bench)

Exercise	Rest	Reps	Sets
Dumbbell Fly	1 minute	12	1
Dumbbell Fly	1 minute	10	1
Dumbbell Fly	1 minute	8	1
Dumbbell Fly	1 minute	6	1
Dumbbell Bench Press	None	12	1
Dumbbell Fly	2 min	12	1

Triceps

Exercise	Rest	Reps	Sets
Bench Dip*	1 minute	12	1
Bench Dip*	1 minute	10	1
Bench Dip*	1 minute	8	1
Bench Dip*	1 minute	6	1
Close Triceps Pushups	None	12	1
Bench Dip*	2 min	12	1

*You can use the edge of a desk, chair, or weight bench.

Day 3: Cardio+ Abs

xercise	Rest	Reps	Sets
30 Second Plank	30 seconds	1	3
Air Bike	30 seconds	30	3
Bent Knee Hip Raise	30 seconds	30	3
Exercise Ball Pull-in	30 seconds	15	3
Sit Ups	30 seconds	8	3
Toe Touchers	30 seconds	15	3

Day 4: 30 min Cardio+ Lower Body

Upper Legs 

Exercise	Rest	Reps	Sets
Iron Cross	1 minute	12	1
Iron Cross	1 minute	10	1
Iron Cross	1 minute	8	1
Iron Cross	1 minute	6	1
Dumbbell Lunges	None	12	1
Iron Cross	2 min	12	1

Exercise	Rest	Reps	Sets
Dumbbell Squat	1 minute	12	1
Dumbbell Squat	1 minute	10	1
Dumbbell Squat	1 minute	8	1
Dumbbell Squat	1 minute	6	1
Dumbbell Walking Lunges	None	12	1
Dumbbell Squat	2 min	12	1

Lower Legs

Exercise	Rest	Reps	Sets
Rocking Standing Calf Raise*	1 minute	12	1
Rocking Standing Calf Raise*	1 minute	10	1
Rocking Standing Calf Raise*	1 minute	8	1
Rocking Standing Calf Raise*	1 minute	6	1
Calf Raise on a Dumbbell	None	12	1
Rocking Standing Calf Raise*	2 min	12	1

*Use 2 dumbbells instead of a barbell 

Day 5: Cardio+ Shoulders/Biceps/Back

Shoulders

Exercise	Rest	Reps	Sets
Dumbbell Lateral Raise	1 minute	12	1
Dumbbell Lateral Raise	1 minute	10	1
Dumbbell Lateral Raise	1 minute	8	1
Dumbbell Lateral Raise	1 minute	6	1
Dumbbell Front Raise	None	12	1
Dumbbell Lateral Raise	2 min	12	1

Back

Exercise	Rest	Reps	Sets
Bent Over Two Dumbbell Row	1 minute	12	1
Bent Over Two Dumbbell Row	1 minute	10	1
Bent Over Two Dumbbell Row	1 minute	8	1
Bent Over Two Dumbbell Row	1 minute	6	1
Superman	None	12	1
Bent Over Two Dumbbell Row	2 min	12	1

Biceps

Exercise	Rest	Reps	Sets
Bicep Curl with Stork Stance	1 minute	12	1
Bicep Curl with Stork Stance	1 minute	10	1
Bicep Curl with Stork Stance	1 minute	8	1
Bicep Curl with Stork Stance	1 minute	6	1
Alternate Hammer Curl	None	12	1
Bicep Curl with Stork Stance	2 min	12	1

Day 6 (optional): Yoga or Pilates 

As always, PLEASE contact me with any comments, questions, or concerns at feedingmytemple@gmail.com!