By Dennis B. Weis
The "Yukon Hercules"

If you are like me, more than likely bodybuilding is an important part of your existing lifestyle. During your training career, for one reason or another, you will find yourself cramped for gym time that makes full-length muscle fiber-alerting workouts impossible.

When a lack of the customary training time in the gym becomes evident, it should never become an excuse for procrastinating or missing workouts completely. From my own experience and those of others who I talk to, usually the muscle group to experience the most neglect is the abdominals. Don't become one of the statistics.

Here is a slam training routine for the abdominals that will maintain their existing level of development, until you can once again return to your previous optimum abdominal workouts.

Exercise Exercise Name Sets & Reps Scheme

1 Reverse Trunk Curl
3 x 15 - Hold 5, then 10

2 Floor Crunches
1 x 25 - Hold 5 seconds
1 x 20 - Hold 5 seconds
1 x 15 - Hold 5 seconds

3 Alternate Elbow to Knee
twisting partial Crunch 2 x 40 each side

Exercise Descriptions:

Reverse Trunk Curl
Lay back on a flat exercise bench

Reach overhead and grip the end of the bench

Cross your legs and bring your thighs so they are perpendicular to your body.

Without swinging your body, use your abs to lift your trunk (butt) off the bench approximately 8 inches. This is considered the "up" or "contracted" position. Breathe out at "up" position.

Slowly lower your trunk (butt) to within 1 inch of the bench surface. This is one rep.

Breathe in and begin again doing 4 more reps. Upon completion of the 5th rep ("up" position) hold for a 5 second count. Do 10 more reps and hold in the ("up" position) for a 10 second count. This completes one set. Do two more sets in the manner described/

Floor Crunches:

Standard crunch
After performing 25 reps, hold the ("up" position) for a 5 second count.

Do 20 more reps- hold for a 5 second count.

Do 15 more reps - hold for a 5 second count.

Rest

Alternated Elbow to Knee Twisting partial Crunch
This is simple a Floor Crunch with an alternating elbow to knee sequence thrown into the mix.

Follow the Slam Training for the Abdominals every other day!

Stay flexed!!!

Dennis Weis