Candace’s BodyBlog

When it comes to training abs, most exercises are straight-up boring and some can be downright painful, especially if you’re not used to doing direct ab work. Thanks to T-Nation, here’s one big exercise that uses continuous tension and heavy resistance, and it puts a special emphasis on the serratus (those awesome-looking "finger" muscles where your chest, lats, and abs meet).

Begin the low cable serratus crunch similar to a basic crunch, lying on the floor, with your head near a low cable pulley. Grab a straight bar and keep your arms locked and perpendicular to the ground the entire time. Perform a regular crunch, but at the top of each rep, actively press your arms even further towards the ceiling. This is what activates the serratus in a big way.

The key point with the movement is to extend the arms straight up towards the ceiling, not forward in front of your chest. It’s also important to reach as high as possible at the peak of each repetition and hold that top position for a full one or two seconds.

Using 2-3×10-12 with this exercise will be plenty. Be sure to keep your arms locked straight and pointing up towards the ceiling throughout each rep, use a full range of motion, and squeeze the serratus at the top of each rep. You should feel a solid contraction in the upper abs, just below your chest. That’s your serratus, and they’re going to be sore later.

I found this great article by Rachel Cosgrove on the web….and I couldn’t agree more!

I was just thinking that one of the number one goals I have with my clients to change their bodies is to change the negative mental chatter that goes on upstairs all day long. Most women spend a lot of time each day talking negatively to themselves and have to consciously stop themselves and catch themselves. I had a realization that when women are using the wrong type of exercise to lose fat it not only doesn’t work physically but it doesn’t work mentally as well. Long runs or steady state cardio on a machine perpetuates this negative thinking that is so common for women.

Picture this – A woman running for an hour- what is going through her mind? Maybe she is thinking about her day ahead or her kids or a vacation that she has coming up but I bet you most women spend a lot of their time thinking- “Ugghh I can still feel my stomach jiggling when I am running…my thighs are rubbing together….gee, look at that runner- why don’t I look more like her? Uh Oh, someone is coming up behind me and probably noticing how wide my ass is…How much longer…If only I hadn’t pigged out last night I wouldn’t have to torture myself like this…”

Ladies? I know you won’t admit it but aren’t these the kind of thoughts you might have while running at a steady state with nothing to think about except the tortuous exercise of repetitive motion you are doing to try to drop a few pounds and fit in your jeans so of course most of the time you will think about your body and how did you let yourself get here in the first place and beating yourself up?

Now Picture this- A woman goes to the gym to lift weights. Her focus is on the exercise she is doing, keeping her stomach tight and focusing on lifting the weight and keeping her form. She has to be thinking about what she is doing at that moment and most of her thoughts will be “I need to squeeze my butt and keep my stomach tight. I have 5 more reps, I can do this….”

I am not saying she won’t have the occasional fleeting negative thought but it will be a lot less than if she has an hour of doing nothing but the same motion over and over again with nothing but her thoughts swimming around in her head.
So not only is strength training better for women for all of the physical reasons but it is better for them mentally too. And having less negative thoughts and more thoughts about keeping your stomach tight and being strong and finishing your set will lead to better results. The mind and body are connected. If you are spending an hour everyday doing steady state cardio thinking negative thoughts to yourself you could be undoing exactly what you are trying to do while you are trying to do it…Because your body is listening to what your mind is telling it.

Here is a great dinner option for the whole family to enjoy…high in protein, low in carbohydrates and so simple to make the kids might even volunteer to do it (crossing my fingers for you all on that!). Serve on top of spinach salad, or steam some broccolini stems to round out a fantastic meal.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. skim milk
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. sliced almonds
1/4 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. whole wheat bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil.Trim any fat from chicken and cut into strips (approx. 6-8 per breast).
Stir milk and mustard together in a bowl. In a separate container mix together almonds, oats, bread crumbs, parsley, and black pepper.
One at a time, dip chicken into milk mixture then dredge them in oatmeal mixture, making sure each piece is evenly coated.
Arrange on baking sheet and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, turning once, or until chicken is cooked through and coating is golden brown.
Nutritional Information: Calories: 250, Fat: 8 g., Carbs: 7 g., Protein: 37 g.

I received this letter recently from a Facebook friend that touched me so much…I wanted to share it with you. My hope is that one of you will read her letter and feel like YOU can accomplish YOUR goal…one step at a time!

Candace,
Just wanted to let you know what an inspiration you have been for me! Of course, I only discovered your fitness accomplishments earlier this year … I began seeing your motivational statements pop up on my home page every so often. I read your website and heard your story about the athlete within.
Most of the time, I do eat right. Stay away from sugars, white breads, white pasta, etc. From time to time I have had my own personal trainer and know that I feel better when i am exercising. I am not a large person… but I haven’t really been where I want to be for years. I am definately a competitor by nature. That’s why I do own my own business and am damned determined not to let this economy bring me down. BUT, I have always HATED exercise. I am not athletic, but have a husband and a son who are. So as I age, I continue to wonder how long I can stay this size with diet alone. I know the answer…not long.
Knowing what you have done and seeing your continued results, I thought to myself, I can become more fitness motivated…even at 44! So, when my son said something this summer about the Atlanta half marathon/marathon that is held on Thanksgiving Day, I thought, “That’s it, I need a goal! Exercising for exercising sake, will not do it for me.” I made the proclamation to the family, “I am going to run that Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon.” Of course, my husband responded, “You are not a runner.” You may not know this about me, but never tell me I can’t do something! (AND no, a 10K wasn’t a big enough goal for me!! LOL!)

I did a little research on running, talked to some friends who have completed marathons and said, “Yes, I can do this.” I found a begginers running plan on runnersworld.com and was also fitted for running shoes. It’s working! I started just 5 weeks ago. I began by running for 1 minute, walking for 1 minute for up to 30 minutes. Each day I increased just a little more. Yesterday I ran 4 miles without stopping! That’s my longest run yet! I feel great! I am running about 5 days a week now and can’t wait to jump out of the bed at 6:00 am to head to the park. (AND I am not a morning person!) In another three weeks I will begin the 10 week half marathon training plan. My husband commented this week, “You really are a runner now!”
So Candace, I know I am not a client, but I want you to know that I believe you are reaching a lot of other people who are not your clients through your facebook posts! Keep it up!! What a great thing you are doing for this sedentary world we live in. Thank you so much for being my inspiration this year…and you did not even know it!! You’re the best!!