When FitJerk posted his “Jerkdominal Blast” on Twitter, I might have just smiled remembering that my abs are only 2 months post baby expelling and not exactly up to anything involving blasts – or jerks for that matter – except that he said the magic word. No, not “please.” He said challenge. I cannot resist a challenge, a fault that has put me into more than one regrettable situation (cliff dancing anyone?). Thankfully many of you share the same flaw and quite a few of you jumped in too:
So this morning found two of my Gym Buddies – the long suffering Allison and Krista – and I ready to make our abs so sore we wouldn’t dare find anything humorous for at least a week. After doing Lindsey’s hour-long Killer Barf Circuits in just 45 minutes which is why we are so red-faced and smelly in the above pic (it’s a scratch-n-sniff!), we got down to work.
Since FitJerk said these would make us weep, we snapped some pics to prove him wrong. And also, because who needs fitness models to properly demonstrate the moves when you have us to show you how to screw them up? Hence, The Gym Buddies present Total Ab Burnout in 6 (not) Easy Moves:
Krista demos the leg scissors. 20-30 reps, 2 second tempo. (Note: FitJerk said the real killer part about this ab workout is the tempo and he was right. Some of the moves, like this one, we managed to do just as he prescribed. Others though… well, you’ll see what happened. )
Next up, Allison doing the decline crunches with weight plate. 15-20 reps, 211 tempo. (Up 1 second, hold 1 second, lower 2 seconds.) Notice Allison’s perfect form holding the plate behind her head, instead of on her chest? Also notice her adorable grin? Yeah, both the form and the smile went out the window after the first rep. These suckers were the worst of the bunch – agony!
Krista’s expression (and method of cheating by lifting up the plate during the crunch) is pretty indicative of what we really looked like. I believe her exact words were, “I feel like I’m having a baby!!!” (Bet you don’t scream that one in your gym, FitJerk!)
The third move is the pulse up. 30 reps, 211 tempo. These weren’t bad. P.S. Like all the crap in the background? We’re messy worker outers, we are!
Move 4 is the power wheel roll out, 20 reps tempo 312. If there was ever a piece of gym equipment designed for hilarity, it is the power wheel. Somewhere there is a stat counter for how many times people fall on their faces using this thing.
Case in point. (Also, remember the time Gym Buddy Lisseth got this sucker stuck up her butt? Good times!)
Move 5 is the oblique V-snap, 15-20 reps 211 tempo. Ignore my bad form. I’m too busy posing for the camera. (What – don’t you all do that when you work out?!)
Last move: V-ups! 15-25 reps, 211 tempo. If there was one thing I learned in gymnastics, it is how evil the V-up is. Thankfully, FitJerk’s version is easier than the traditional V-up (you don’t have to come up to a full balance on your tail bone!). Which isn’t to say it was easy. It still sucked. (I would like to take a moment here to explain that we do not generally kit out in our weight gloves to do ab work. We just didn’t have time to take them off between Lindsey’s Killer Barf Circuits – now with less time and more puke! – and the abs because I only had an hour to workout this a.m. You may resume caring about other things now.)
The other great thing about FitJerk’s ab workout is that it inspired him to make me his new muse (Okay so he may not have officially said that but I know he was thinking it.) as he was so impressed by what an awesome exercise community we all have here at The Great Fitness Experiment that he wrote a post about the importance of having workout buddies! Yeah, yeah he doesn’t mention me by name but a good muse doesn’t need to be directly invoked to inspire;) You’re welcome FitJerk!
In the spirit of community (and also because kick boxing in hula gear is AWESOME and HILARIOUS), here are a few pics of Turbo Jennie’s turbo crew after our Island Days workout:
Somewhere a ukulele is strumming!
We had 83 peeps kicking and punching in that little studio! Turbo Jennie said we set a Y record! (And yes, Becky there in the front did the whole class in a wet suit!)
And… one more from our Christmas photo shoot because we are adorable and I found it while I was cleaning off my camera’s memory. That’s Gym Buddies Lisseth, Megan, Allison, me, Turbo Jennie (kindly holding my leg up as I was too wiped to do it myself) and Krista.
So, how did the ab workout go for you guys? Will I be weeping tomorrow??
'm doing the abtastic workout tonight at home (so skipping those I don't have the equipment for) but after running so I'll be burnt out already. Wish me luck!
Yayy, you and your gym buddies are so adorable!! I'm jealous..all my gym buddies are stressed law students with iPod earphones… and we don't look nearly as adorable.
And you look freaking amazing for having had jellybean only a couple months ago! You are amazing…when I get pregnant (in like 8 years) I'm calling you to be my 'personal trainer' and whip me back into shape!
p.s. that paper totally did not write itself. I spent the majority of the night doing it 🙁
You guys are so darn cute.
I loves me the challenges. Particularly the abs challenges. May I borrow some of your gym buddies? 😉 Definitely more fun with workout buddies to join in!
Sweet! *high five*
Nice job ladies, proud of you all… even though it looks like you got your behinds handed to ya 😉
Keep doing it, things get (a bit) easier. And Charlotte, while I've never screamed anything baby related, I HAVED barked random nonsense at my buddy before…
One particular incident that comes to mind was when I yelled: "Dude, if I do another f***ing rep I might shit my pants!"
It was a heavy, heavy squat session… not exactly my favorite exercise. But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do right?
P.S – I'm not sure how many honest, ballsy and blunt men you attract on your blog… but. "MILF!"
😉 had to be said. Good work.
Seriously, are those pics recent? Because you SO do not look like you gave birth 2 months ago.
(Forgive the teenspeak. I am just jealous!)
ahhh i love all the pictures!! you guys look like youre having soooo much fun. i need some gym buddies like you have 🙂
You may not be sore tomorrow but just wait until Wednesday. I did the ab workout on Saturday (the lower rep number and without added weight for the 1st round) and am really feeling it today. I did modify the decline situp as my bench does not go backwards (I did a reverse thing on my roman chair) and I could not get the hang of the vups on my side – no matter what position I tried they hurt my butt so I changed to side plank dip things.
Ouch! My wimpy abs are burning (couldn't even handle the weights). You are amazing for doing it only two months post baby!
oh oh! i'm doing this ab thing later this week….when I have access to the park district gym after boxing. yes, that's right, boxing. does your Y offer real boxing? I have to say….so therapeutic, and just awesome in general.
anyway….i'll let you know how it goes later in the week! it looks pretty brutal.
You guys are cool!!!! I bet you have more fun at the Y than anyone else!
I don't know that I'm up for this particular workout just yet. (I got stomach pains just reading about it!}
Maybe next week, when I'm not subbing quite so many pilates classes.
Or, y'know, never.
I LOVE THOSE ROLLY WHEEL THINGS! (she shouts)
and Id actually kinda forgotten about em as I dont think my gym, err, officeworkoutroom has one 🙂
Ive said it before but Ill say it again: Im so jealous of your womenfriendships at the gym.
Your partners in workoutcrizzime.
You look fantastic, Charlotte.
Happy radiant fit.
i am going to try this one today! can't make it to the gym because of a sick child so I get to try out some cool workouts at home!
I wish I had that much fun working out. I think you proved the case for having workout buddies.
Hmmm…here I was thinking I couldn't do too much this week because of my knee.
I think I'll try this tomorrow morning. If you hear whining drifting across the frozen wastelands, it's just me 🙂
Your gym buddies seem fantastic! I have to say – a great group of women to workout with goes a logn way. it's a reason I like the bellydancing so much – the group of women there are so great 🙂
Sadly (snicker) I don't have the equipment for all of those exercises, so I will just have to enjoy vicariously through your post. At least it looks like you guys were having fun! 🙂
Abtastic!
I tried it! My workout buddy was my cat. Since I can't afford to go to a gym/buy home equipment, I had to modify some of them… I sat on a high rolled lump of towel and tried to sit up (sans weights) instead of the decline bench, and I didn't have a roller thingy, so I balled up a sweater and pushed it across the tiled floor of my bathroom as far as possible – that might have been even harder than the wheel, since it wasn't exactly helpfully rolling back. But just in case that was whimpy, I did the full-fledged v-ups, gymnast-style, but slow instead of fast, and with a pause at the top holding my ankles.
And since I was relying on my memory to do them, I totally forgot about the side ones. Oops. But I can feel it today! (I did them the day before yesterday, but the soreness seems to have mostly hit today.)
It was fun, though, thanks fitjerk and charlotte!
that's about 1980% MORE ab work than I ever do and my core is sore just looking at you all! I did, however, take a Spin class AND a Pilates class today, so I feel quite accomplished and tipped. And faminshed – I'm inhaling anything in sight.
You're so lucky to have friends who you always workout with…and have fun with!
HAhahahaha! Charlotte, I love you and your gym buddies. I need me some gym buddies! *sigh*
I <3 my ab routine, and don't have any of the equipment for this one, but I have to admit that I'd forgotten how challenging SLOW work can be. (Miz posted on slow stuff today, too – something in the water?)
I SO LOVE YOUR PICS!!!!!!Thank you for sharing!
I mix up my ab routine & those moves are part of some I do over time. FJ's post reminded me to do some of them again. And yes, the v-ups are not those hard ones where you have to balance on your tailbone..those ones are beyond hard!
Keep up the great work!
It was rather interesting for me to read that post. Thanks the author for it. I like such topics and anything that is connected to them. I would like to read a bit more soon.
nice. NICE. must be rockin' to have fun WHILE doing such a burning ab circuit. i haven't really tried the ab workout for sure, but decline crunches suck. i feel you on that. =D love the gloves. 'coz you kick ass right?
Love it- you guys are so cute!!
Just looking at the pictures made my abs hurt. Thanks!
I did this after you tweeted it- I was so glad b/c it forced me to work out when I would not have otherwise- loved the tempo change.
I was a bit sore in my intercostals, abs way high up and obliques. I'd do it again for sure. I really wish i had an ab-roller- geeky, yes but they rock.
83 peeps in class? my word!!
love the photos and you look phenom.
cool.. this really works out?! shows nice results on the screen.
hahaha! your ab-burning pics cracked me up! you're probably a happy hoot to hang around. 🙂
I know a lot of those moves! I bet that was an ab burnout! I have been dieting and exercising, and have lost over 40 pounds so far. Learned a lot about nutrition and exercise. I blog at Fitness Achievement