Six Inches

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One of the toughest parts of the abs to maintain is the lower abs. One of the main reasons for that is because our movement on a daily basis does not engage our lower abs as much as the rest of our muscles. More effort is required to condition this area but once conditioned it is fairly easy to maintain.

The starting position for the Six Inches begins by laying flat on your back with the legs straight out and ends with feet in the air. The hands can be either at your side, over, or beside your head. This exercise is pretty much self explained, the purpose of this exercise is to hold your feet about 6 inches off the ground and hold it for a duration of time. The final position is complete when the legs are raised off the floor. It is up to you to determine how high to lift your legs but you have to keep them there without letting them drop. When you put your legs back down, you can take a rest before you start the next set, you will need it.

The concept behind this exercise is that the ab muscles have to contract and be in control while breathing to maintain the proper form. This is a timed exercise and is typically attempted by maintaining the six inch position for 1 minute. If this is your first time doing the Six Inches, Fitness Drive recommends starting with a 1 minute pose with a 1-2 minute rest period before trying it again. Once you have strengthened your core, then start advancing the duration of the pose by 30 second increments.

This incorporates the Fitness Drive Extreme Build/Burn.

Beginners should strive for 3 sets of 1 minute each with only 1 minute breaks. (3-4 times per week)
Intermediates should strive for 3 sets of 2 minute each with only 1 minute breaks. (3-4 times per week)
Experts should strive for 3 sets of 3 minute each with only 1 minute breaks. (3-4 times per week)

Make sure to use controlled movements and do not jerk your body, all the strength from the lift should come from the abs. Use your hands as stabilizers.

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There are several variations of this exercise which involve elevating the legs on a bench, balancing legs in the air, and adding weights for more resistance. But remember that smooth controlled movements is key especially if you are elevating the exercise to include weights.

Abs is your core and the fundamental center of your strength. Even if you can’t see your abs, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have strength there. An accumulation of fat hides the muscles we so desperately want to show off. Once the fat starts burning away, the Ab muscles starting becoming visible. But… it is not as simple as just doing thousands of sit-ups. *Make sure to follow a strict diet and exercise regiment to expedite the results and further propel your goals.

Regardless of how defined you want to be you need to make sure you set a goal, establish a routine and keep following it. Results do not happen overnight and it is hard to see what progress you are making if you are a mirror-junky (staring at yourself in the mirror every chance you get). Do yourself a favor and take a before picture of yourself, save it and do not look at it again until the time is right. Each week take another picture of yourself. The time to analyze is on a month-to-month basis. Compare your before picture against the 4th week then again on the 8th, 12th, 16th, and 24th week picture. This way you can see the transition your body made and determine each month if the routine you are following is making an impact. *Discipline is the key!