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Target Your LOWER ABS – The Best Lower Ab Exercise You Aren’t Doing

Target Your LOWER ABS – The Best Lower Ab Exercise You Aren’t Doing

by | Mar 13, 2022 | Blog, Bodyweight, Core, Exercises, Functional Fitness, Workouts

Now my favorite comment I get any time I post anything to work the lower abs is…

“You don’t have lower ab muscles.”

And that’s true. There is no specific lower ab muscle.

But you CAN target that lower portion of your rectus abdominis to a greater extent with specific moves, especially bottom up exercises.

Just like you can target the upper portion more as well with more top down focused moves.

So if you’re looking to target that lower portion of your rectus abdominis while even strengthening your pelvic floor and TVA more, I want to share a movement variation I think is often under utilized.

But before I do I do just want to mention a few bonus tips to help you really achieve that lean, flat stomach.

That lower abdominal region is an especially stubborn one to lose fat from.

And 100% diet is key. And consistency in dialing in our macros past the point we often want to quit as losing that last little bit of stubborn belly fat is hard.

But if you truly are struggling with losing that last little bit, this tip may be the missing piece from your training routine.

And it does involve something we’ve been told is impossible….

Spot lipolysis aka SPOT REDUCTION! GASP!

Yup. You can spot reduce an area…not in the way we’ve always tried to, but it may be that key little tweak when you’ve got everything dialed in.

How do you do this?

Try including this underrated ab exercise, or an exercise for the stubborn area you want to target in your strength workout. Include it even as part of a finisher.

When we work a muscle, we mobilize more fatty acids from the surrounding tissues.

So if we do this focused ab work to mobilize the fatty acids in the surrounding tissues and then include low intensity steady state cardio after, we can utilize the mobilize fatty acids.

Aka we can help ourselves lose more fat from our lower abdominal region!

(For more on Spot Lipolysis, clic HERE!)

If you’ve been struggling with that last little bit of stubborn fat and want to strengthen your lower abs, try this Hanging Posterior Pelvic Tilt with Squeeze as part of your workout finisher even adding in a nice walk after to cool down!

How do you do the Hanging Posterior Pelvic Tilt with Squeeze?

Hanging leg raises and knees to elbows are both great lower ab exercises. Yet too often we use them in a way that only ends up overworking our hip flexors.

It’s because we ignore the essential component that makes any leg raise movement really target our lower abs – the posterior pelvic tilt.

That’s why I love this hanging ab exercise – because it focuses on that essential pelvic tilt component.

And by adding in the leg squeeze, which in turn engages your adductors, you can even help yourself better activate your pelvic floor and lower portion of the rectus abdominis.

To do this move, start hanging from the bar from a ball or block between your upper thighs right above your knees. Grip the bar hard with all of your fingers evenly and engage your back to help you stabilize, slightly depressing your shoulder blades.

Then, squeezing the ball or block, tuck your pelvis toward your ribs. You’re basically rounding your lower back.

Your legs will come forward but you do not want to really bend at the hips.

You’re using your abs, and even your glute max to perform that slight spinal flexion to tuck your pelvis under.

Squeeze the ball hard as you tuck.

Think about pulling your core in as you tuck. You’re not just drawing your belly button toward your spine but even thinking about pulling your pelvis in toward each other as you tuck toward your ribs.

To help you really brace, focus on that exhale as you tuck.

As you do this move, focus on that exhale to expel all the air you have and contract that core as you perform the pelvic tilt to feel your TVA even engaging as a corset around your middle to brace.

Really pause with each tilt to focus on engaging your abs as hard as you can before slowly relaxing.

To help you really avoid too much swing, grip the bar hard and engage your lats.

This is a very challenging move as simple as it may seem.

To modify the fully hanging variation, keep your toes down as you hang, even losing the block or ball squeeze to be able to better focus first on the tilt.

If you have any upper body issues or simply can’t yet fully hang and control the exercise, you can also modify by doing this off the ground, holding onto a pole overhead or on a bench holding onto the end.

To progress the move when you’re fully in control of the posterior pelvic tilt, you can keep the squeeze and start to do even the full knees to elbows. But only progress as you can fully control the move and feel that mind-body connection being used to create that ab shakeage!

SUMMARY:

Remember you need to focus on feeling your lower abs working to get the full benefit of this move. If you instead only feel your lower back or hips, you need to modify.

Sometimes we need to regress to progress!

The 3-Step Fat Loss Formula if you’re ready to reveal those abs…

–> 3-Step RS Formula

FHP 410 – Stop Comparing

FHP 410 – Stop Comparing

by | Mar 8, 2022 | podcast

There is one thing I think really is what success boils down to and I want to share why I think this…

It actually came off of seeing a variety of responses to posts over the last week and thinking about the commonality in some of the responses across topics.

It’s always interesting to see how people interpret the videos and tips you put out.

I find it especially interesting the range of responses I get – from victims to victors.

The victors always pat themselves on the back for making changes. Finding a way forward.

The victims always use those same life situations to state why they can’t move forward.

And then even if they do pull out a positive, it’s linked to a comparison about how something isn’t as good now as it used to be.

Life happens.

Changes happen.

We lose ground. Lose momentum. Things slide.

But comparing to what was, does nothing to move you forward.

I won’t lie to you even.

You may NEVER get back there.

But you can still move forward.

I think that’s always what I want to focus on.

It’s always what the underlying message of “it’s not your age,” “you can come back stronger from injury,” “menopause doesn’t mean you’re doomed to never have the body you want”….really is.

It isn’t that with age your skin won’t change. Or that it doesn’t become harder to build and retain muscle.

It isn’t that with an injury you may not have to avoid certain movements, especially to start.

It isn’t with menopause that what used to work won’t work anymore.

BUT with all of these things, you can always improve your current situation to move and feel your best.

It may be DIFFERENT than what was. But things can ALWAYS get better if we choose to find a way forward no matter what.

Life constantly throws us events and situations that can easily be seen as obstacles. Because they are.

But ultimately we have the CHOICE to view them as opportunities instead.

Only when we do this can we ultimately move forward.

And honestly, this is the biggest secret I see of people who are successful and get results.

So if I could give you one tip that will allow you to start this mindset of moving forward, it would be…

STOP COMPARING TO WHAT WAS.

We can’t go back. We can’t change the past.

We can’t even focus on just doing a little less than what we were doing prior.

We need to focus on the here and now.

What results are you actually getting from your diet? What macros are you actually hitting?

Not working? Make a change. Just a small one.

Knee pain limiting your running?

Assess what is causing it. Put your running even on hold and focus on rebuilding that foundation.

Address the mobility issues. Activate those underactive muscles.

Then focus on rebuilding your mileage.

Find other fun activities you may even love as well as you do rebuild.

I know it’s easy to want to compare when you may NEVER be exactly what you once were, but life is evolving. Our best selves are ones that are just us moving forward from our current spot.

We talk about how comparison is the thief of joy when we compare to others, but honestly the comparison to some “idealized” time in our past is worse.

So just a reminder of a few things that help me when I find myself comparing that I think of…

1. Where are you currently?  (Reminding myself of even the obstacles I have to overcome but in a way I recognize the road ahead not see them as a reason not to move forward)
2. What’s one thing you want to improve right now? (What is my current situation and something that needs work? Not comparing to past fitness levels or situations. What’s one thing I can focus on to move forward today?)
3. What’s one small step forward you can take today? (Don’t base this off what you used to do. What is one thing based off of what you’re doing now you can change? Who cares if it used to work? If it is “good?” It’s not the system you need right now. It’s not based on the mindset you have right now. What can you change in your CURRENT situation to move forward?)

It’s always about that improvement mindset.

The idea that you just should give up because you aren’t what you once were…is that really how you want to spend these years?

Sure you might never be back at a specific point, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still view it as becoming your healthiest and happiest self in that you’re improving from where you are NOW.

Lose Weight And Keep It Off FOREVER! Try These 3 Tips

Lose Weight And Keep It Off FOREVER! Try These 3 Tips

by | Mar 6, 2022 | Blog, Diet

The faster we want to see results, often the more we set ourselves up for long term failure.

Because we ultimately implement habits and routines that simply aren’t sustainable.

And by trying to rush our results we also often create metabolic adaptations and hormonal changes that work against us or make rebounding back to what we started at even easier.

And while our lifestyle can, and should, change as our goals evolve, we have to stop going to extremes and instead focus on creating the healthiest version of our PERSONAL lifestyle.

In the end, this leads to not only the best results because we allow those results to compound and snowball, but also the most sustainable results.

Because we don’t want to look and feel our best for just a day! We want to maintain those results long term.

That’s why I wanted to share 3 tips to help you lose fat and create those habits that will help you KEEP the weight off!

But before I dive into the tips to help you make sustainable habit changes I do just want to point out that making any change to start may not feel easy, comfortable or even sustainable.

Often changes feel exactly the opposite no matter how much they may evolve into our new routines and habits.

It’s because what feels easy, what feels sustainable and instinctual is what we’ve always done.

And what we’ve always done hasn’t moved us forward.

If we want a new and better result, we have to make a change and that means we have to embrace being a bit uncomfortable.

We have to give those changes time to become our new normal.

And then to KEEP that result, we have to keep replicating those habits. You can’t just simply achieve your goal then go back to what you were doing.

And that’s why these 3 tips are really so key.

They help you implement changes in a way that helps you build while also staying focused on what is realistic for you to do LONG-TERM so that the foundation of the new lifestyle you want to create is there.

Tip #1: STOP Saying Food Is Just Fuel.

So often when we’re striving for fat loss, we try to see food as just fuel. We eat for function. We willing cut out things and restrict.

We even except super bland meals and tell ourselves to “suck it up” and eat things we don’t really enjoy.

And while food for sure is fuel, that isn’t truly all it is for most of us.

It’s consumed because it often tastes good and is part of our social gatherings and events.

It’s part of the fun of traveling and experiencing a new place.

And honestly there shouldn’t be guilt for eating food for enjoyment purposes.

The more we try to deny that food is more than just fuel in our modern society, the more we hold ourselves back from creating a true lifestyle balance.

And that’s why ultimately often our fat loss results are short-lived.

We don’t know how to balance eating to just fuel, eating for function, with actually living the life we enjoy.

So at some point, when we either…

A. Can’t stand it any longer or

B. Have reached our goal and want to go back to normal…

We end up indulging in foods that don’t fall on an arbitrary clean “approved list” and then can’t reign things back in.

We almost REBEL against the restriction we’d self-inflicted.

Instead we need to recognize and understand what role food plays in our life.

Do we like having that happy hour out with friends on Friday?

Do we enjoy cooking for our extended family as we get together and celebrate around the table?

Do we enjoy a date night out with our special someone?

We need to strike that balance between aesthetic goals and the lifestyle we ultimately want to lead if we not only want to lose fat but KEEP IT OFF.

And while your exact balance will shift as your goals shift, the key is not forcing restrictions on yourself that only lead to rebellion later.

We need to LEARN how to work in the things we love.

Sure we may find there are foods we can’t have just one of so don’t include those as often, or we may find more macro-friendly variations at times to work into our macros, but we’ve got to embrace a balance.

Instead of restricting, work in things you love FIRST to your macros to balance everything else out around it.

This can help you not feel deprived of the things you love while embracing the ratios and habit changes along the way.

It can help you learn to include your bread or dessert to actually build a lifestyle change you know you can maintain!

Tip #2: Build Off Of Your Current Lifestyle.

Stop searching for a fad diet. A quick fix.

Stop just cutting out foods because someone said to.

If you have an allergy or intolerance, sure, you may not include certain foods in your diet.

But too often we cut out foods in a desire to “eat clean” to ultimately only end up eating more of those things over the year after feeling so deprived of them and restricted.

We feel guilty because we aren’t hitting someone else’s standards of what a healthy diet should look like.

But we’ve got to stop caring what other people think.

One size doesn’t fit all. And while I hear a ton of people preach that, I see those same people trying to make people feel guilty for eating foods they enjoy that aren’t as healthy.

And all this does is hold people back from ever making any sort of change.

We have to meet ourselves where we are at.

If we’re eating fast food for every meal and pizza, we’re only going to set ourselves up for failure by trying a diet that cuts all of that out immediately and forces us to eat chicken and broccoli.

Instead we need to take a look at our current lifestyle and make small swaps and changes to that.

To get the best results and then keep the weight off we have to stay focused on creating the healthiest version of OUR personal lifestyle.

This is why I encourage clients to stop just cutting out whole food groups but instead embrace the learning process and count macros.

By tracking what we are currently eating to start, without even making changes, we can see things we can tweak and adjust.

And then, from there, instead of cutting out the thing you love the most first, think about adding in something good. Or swapping out something easy.

The easier the changes are to start, the more we can get that momentum building through feeling successful in our implementation of the changes.

When we feel successful in making changes, we then want to do more.

Because it really is a case of the more you do, the more you do. And this can be both in a positive and a negative direction.

If we instead just made sweeping arbitrary changes completely unrealistic for our lifestyle, we may ultimately end up doing nothing or failing at the thing we try to ultimately do more of nothing.

As silly as it can feel, start with small changes based on what you’re currently doing so you can slowly build.

This allows us to create routines that are realistic for us and that we aren’t just constantly forcing ourselves to maintain through willpower.

So consider your current lifestyle as you being to make tweaks!

Tip #3: Set End Dates And Evolve.

I dislike saying that my diet or exercise routine is a lifestyle.

Because I feel like so often that is interpreted as I’m going to do this same thing forever.

We feel this pressure to embrace a way of eating as the thing we’ll do forever.

But nothing in our lifestyle is ever standing still.

Our routines and habits should change just like our needs and goals do!

We also aren’t really motivated to take action by the idea of doing something FOREVER.

So as you work toward your fat loss goals, set progressions and macro ratios you plan to cycle. Set “end dates” at which you’re going to assess and adjust and maybe even slightly tweak your goals.

This can help us stay focused and give us motivation to start today.

It can also help us be more patient in waiting for results to build because we know we can change at a specific point anyway.

It’s also why having a goal for your workouts and understanding macros is so key.

When you have a goal for your workouts you have that focus to drive you forward. Especially when there is an end date at which you want to have hit that performance goal.

And as much as we know “abs are revealed by what we do in the kitchen” being motivated to train and push hard will only help us get better results, especially when focused on building muscle.

It also generally keeps us motivated to do other healthy habits that lead to fat loss, like being conscious of how we fuel.

And by taking the time to learn about macros, we can learn what we need even as our needs and goals change over time.

So while losing fat, we may cycle specific ratios based on even how our training evolves.

But then when we work to maintain, we can adjust ratios and calories again.

Macros, and how we adjust them, are truly at the heart of every diet out there.

And when you understand macros, you can implement low carb, low fat, high protein in any way YOU need to not only create a sustainable lifestyle but see the fat loss results you want and then maintain those results long term.

Because not only can different ratios help you work toward different goals, but you may find that with different types of training, you need to fuel differently to maintain your results.

Or as we get older, we need to adjust again because we become less able to utilize protein as efficiently and struggle more to build and retain lean muscle.

Or if you’re going through menopause you may even find you need to tweak things again because of those hormonal changes.

The point is, if we take time to really learn the foundation of nutrition and understand macros, we then have the power to evolve.

And being conscious that nothing works forever, is what can help us adapt over time so we can KEEP the fat loss results we worked hard to achieve!

SUMMARY:

We have to remember that we can never stop doing what made us “better” and that even maintaining our results is a process with ebbs and flows.

So if you want to lose fat and keep it off, remember one size doesn’t fit all.

Take time to build habits off of your current lifestyle and don’t be afraid to set end dates at which you assess your results and adapt and evolve your routines!

Need help getting started?

Learn more about my online coaching programs.

–> Schedule A Call

FHP 409 – Starting From Scratch

FHP 409 – Starting From Scratch

by | Mar 1, 2022 | podcast, Uncategorized

I’m telling you this as an incredibly stubborn, at times very pigheaded, person that definitely likes to learn by doing…and failing.

However, over time, as much as I value those learning experiences, I’ve come to realize it’s ok to want a little “cheat code” to get better results faster and skip over the mess.

There will be plenty of ups and downs along the way even having that guide.

Honestly, I’ve begun to really question my previous beliefs about starting from scratch and having to make the mistakes myself.

I mean, why start from scratch when you can learn from the mistakes of others and leap frog months or even years past where you would be if you had to do it on your own?

That isn’t admitting you couldn’t do it on your own.

It’s being smart enough not to waste time and even find ways you could improve upon those helpful hints and such to get further than you would have otherwise.

And it’s not only about using the experiences of others…it’s using your own previous knowledge to build off of versus feeling like you have to start over each time.

So because I’ve found that the more I avoid trying to reinvent the wheel or start from scratch to be so helpful in getting better results faster, I wanted to share 3 specific insights I hope will benefit you as well.

#1: Review Your Past Failures And Experiences

Life doesn’t start over. So even when we’re starting a new plan or working toward a new goal, we have a whole host of background experiences we can draw from.

Instead of ignoring our previous experiences, we need to use them to help us build.

Before starting something new, sit down and assess your personality a bit.

How you respond to changes.

Consider what has led to your greatest results and fastest progress…how have you implemented changes at these times?

Assess your failures. Don’t hide from them or ignore them.

Why did these pitfalls occur?

That can help you avoid starting something completely new that has the same potential outcome because it will lead to those same issues arising.

But take time to really assess who you are and what you need.

Draw from your previous experiences and even your knowledge.

The more we can tie new changes into what is known and what works, the more we can often avoid mistakes and pitfalls and even move forward faster!

It honestly goes back to the whole thing of, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Don’t act like you have to start over every time. Use your strengths and learn from your mistakes!

#2: Read Perspectives You Even Dislike

So this one can be frustrating at times, but I feel like too often we get into situations where all we look for and hear is feedback that re-inforces what we already believe.

And often if we aren’t moving forward, this only keeps us stuck on habits and systems that aren’t working.

It reinforces beliefs we need to let go of.

It also doesn’t let us reflect on our own abilities to better utilize those things to build off of.

While it isn’t fully us starting from “scratch” per say, it is us starting from scratch in that we will seek out completely new things that fit only within a narrow window that cause us to have the same learning experiences over and over again.

We aren’t using someone else’s knowledge or our own strong points to move forward.

It’s why it can be so key to search for different perspectives.

It may be hard to hear at times, but it gives you a chance to honestly reflect on your own beliefs.

It’s key though that, when we DO read or listen to these other perspectives, instead of trying to poke holes, we try to see the opportunity in what they are saying.

Why could it work? Why could it be right?

What would this change?

This can help us better filter what is or isn’t working for us in our current situation.

It may solidify viewpoints we do have, but it can also help us make tweaks that improve upon where we are starting from.

Be open to questioning. It can truly help you move forward faster by learning from other’s experiences even too and mistakes!

And it can help you avoid repeating the same old things you’ve always done that haven’t yielded the results you want!

#3: Hire A Coach Or Join A Mastermind/Group

I won’t lie to you, this is why I believe my online coaching program is so fabulous.

But I also started this coaching program after I realized just how much having a coach had helped me in my own life.

I’d always had a coach growing up for sports.

But for some reason, upon graduating from college, I began to think I didn’t need a coach.

Yes I went to workshops and did have other people train me, but I think I got a bit cocky, in multiple areas of my life, thinking I could learn to do it better on my own.

When I finally found myself super stuck spinning my wheels, and also realizing that as a coach it was NOT practicing what I preach to be resistant to coaching, I got myself a coach.

No in this case it wasn’t for fitness, BUT it changed everything.

That experience, embracing a new perspective again, having that accountability, a person to ask questions of, a person to learn from to avoid mistakes and even remind me of wins….

Well that helped me move forward faster, and honestly further, than I would have on my own.

We can go super far on our own. But anyone who wants greatest begins to realize that two heads are better than one.

And we all need that outside perspective.

Heck, olympic athletes that win gold have coaches for a reason. And sometimes multiple ones for different areas.

SUMMARY:

So just remember it isn’t that you can’t do it on your own…it’s that you know how valuable your time is and you want the best for yourself so you seek out that outside help so you aren’t starting from scratch and can get further faster while avoiding unnecessary mistakes!

For the 3 FOUNDATIONAL steps to help you see better results faster by dialing in your nutrition and workouts, check out this training video:

–> 3 Step Recipe For Lasting Results…