Losin' the Love Chub

I have a little pooch and some love chub.

You might refer to yours as your love handles, beer belly, jelly rolls, pot belly, muffin top, spare tire, jelly belly, etc.

There are actually a lot of cute nicknames that refer to excess abdominal fat when you think about it.

The truth is, no matter how thin I've been I have never had a flat stomach. It's the first place I gain excess fat and the last place I lose it. And it certainly doesn't help that I hate doing abdominal exercises. Just hearing the very word "crunches" makes me wince - it just sounds excruciating and torturous.

But to reach my goal of "fit by 30" I cannot get by without some kind of abdominal work out. So I wanted to share the exercises I'm doing now to turn my pooch into a six pack.

1. decline bench sit ups

perform these slow on a decline bench focusing on constant flexion of your abdominal muscles while crunching. I do three sets of 20 reps.

2. dumbbell side bends 

to work the obliques I grab two 15 lb dumbbells, stand with legs shoulder distance apart and slowly lower to one side at a time for 50 reps, 3 sets

3. leg raises

lying flat on my back (on the floor or a bench) I bring my legs up to a 90 degree angle, keeping them as straight as possible.  Then slowly lower to the floor stopping about 1 - 2 inches off the ground then back up to start the next rep. The key is keep your muscles in constant tension. I also like to do hanging leg raises using the pull up bar.

4. kneeling cable crunches

attach a 2 sided rope to a pulley lever,  kneel down and grab each side, positioning it behind your neck. Crunch down for 25 reps, 4 sets. I like to use a foam pad to cushion my knees for this move.

5. standing cable wood chop 

attach handles to a cable machine and move pulley to the highest position. Grab the handle with one hand and step away from the tower. With feet shoulder distance apart, reach upward to grab the handle with your other hand and pull down and across your body while rotating your torso. Return to neutral position to complete the rep.

6. bosu ball crunches 

lie down on the Bosu ball with feet positioned in a wide stance. Elevate your torso in a crunching motion and slowly descend back to the starting position. I usually alternate between doing 20 regular crunches then 15 side bends for 3 reps.


So this is my ab work out right now. It's killer but I'm learning to love the burn. I'm working out my abdominal muscles about 3 times per week using this routine. I try to switch up the exercises I do every time so my muscles don't get used to the same moves. As with any exercise regimen, changes to your routine will maximize your development and results!