Here's another entry into
my long list of exercises that work the abs while not
looking at all like an ab exercise!
This one is basically
a squat...so how does it work the abs? Very well, thanks!
Seriously, though, this
exercise is EXTREMELY effective at targeting the stabilizing
and core strength aspects of the abs. You'll be doing
a barbell squat but instead of supporting the bar across
your back in a "normal" fashion, you will
instead be resting it on one shoulder, standing perpendicular
to the bar.
It's going to primarily
hit one side of the abdominal wall and hit it in conjunction
with a squatting movement, which means this is a VERY
functional exercise. More so than most abdominal exercises,
in fact!
Here's a snapshot of what
it looks like in the start position.
As you can see, I'm facing
sideways in the rack. The safety rails are set at a
moderate position (not a full depth squat). You'll be
starting off from the bottom of the movement with the
bar resting on the rails and, for best results, you
don't want to be starting at the bottom of a full squat
- it's low, but not too low.
I would recommend using
a bar pad for cushioning or a rolled-up towel.
Your shoulder is set as
dead-center on the bar as you can manage (you'll be
able to feel the balance point on the first rep and
adjust from there).
You want to have your
hands out in front of you and locked onto the bar to
help control it. You can use upwards or downwards pressure
to adjust the balance as you stand up.
Here's the halfway point.
Come all the way up to
the standing position.
Here's a direct side view
of the exercise. You'll notice that my working-side
arm's elbow is point directly out to the side and my
arm is held up. Holding the arm up like this helps keep
the bar from rolling out to the side
A few other views...
It's a very straightforward
exercise that will have a HUGE impact on not only your
entire abdominal area but your entire BODY as well.
Supporting the weight in this off-center fashion challenges
not only the abs but the shoulder girdle and legs as
well.
It's truly a total-body
ab exercise!
When you've done one side,
you can either turn around and go immediately to working
the other side or take a rest in between - whichever
way you prefer. If you go directly from one side to
the other, on your next set, start with the different
side so you give it balanced workload.
The first time you do
the exercise, start fairly light to get an idea for
how it works. When doing the exercise, don't set the
bar down on the rack in between reps - keep it a little
off. You may bang the bar on the rails by accident -
just don't set it down.
