ripped abs the old fashioned way
ByYou know the question I get asked most is “How do I get abs?” fully expecting me to give them some magical version of the crunch or whatever they view as an ab exercise. They were programed by their magazines and such thinking that you have to do ab specific training to obtain that hardbodied look that everyone wants and yet few have. Well I agree with pilates camps that we ought to have a strong core. What I don’t agree with is the fact that they think the crunch is the way to get there. Much to their dismay our abdominals weren’t meant for forward flexion because I just can’t picture a scenario where that would have lead to our survival. What it is meant for is to provide a stable platform for our other muscles to move from. Real quick I want you to check out this ancient Greek statue and tell me what his crunch program would have looked like 
. So what did the ancient Greeks probably do a lot of? Overhead and odd lifting, and clean diet (there were no twinkies back then) and their physiques reflected what they did. Eugen Sandow (an old time and legendary strongman) had a fascination with these statues and wanted to become like them but had a strength and health first perspective on it. Legend has it that he was able to press over 300lbs over his head with one hand. 
The looks of course came with it and that is how bodybuilding got started (the top of the Mr. Olympia trophy has a miniture stutue of him on it even though bodybuilding has gotten away from what he represented). He used his abs for bracing and its pretty odvious that it did him some good. So I have compiled a short list of exercises you can do to help you in your quest for powerful and ripped abs and the physique of a Greek God.
kettlebell clean and press
suitcase deadlift
bent press
turkish getup
front squat
kettlebell swings
all of these exercises were talked about in various books by Pavel Tsatsouline who is the Chief instructor of the RKC (and actually my favorite author). His books quite literally changed my life. If you want to purchase some for yourself go to Dragondoor.com
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