Abs

Erika & Mariah on Halloween. The girls deadlift a combined 550 lbs in a single rep.This is a repeat blog.

Repeat because it seems I didn't make my point the first time.

The best way to get great abs is to stabilize your spine with your belly button. Heavy squat, front squat, overhead squat, deadlift... the list goes on here. Don't let me catch you doing crunches.

If you have strong legs but your belly protrudes like a cute little Buddha, chances are your abs are much weaker than your legs. This will manifest in all of the above moves.

The potato-on-toothpicks will lose front squats by hunching forward and overhead squats when the back gives in - never to a weak pair of legs. There are two (wrong) conclustions one can draw when this happens.

(1) "My body doesn't go that way." Of course it doesn't. At least not naturally. You have to fight the battle within the movement (e.g. keeping your back flat during a deadlift, keeping your chest erect throughout the front squat, keeping your arms locked during the overhead squat) to fight the battle of the protruding tum-tum.

(2) "I'll work hard on legs day because I'm comfortable on the leg press. But this overhead squatting business is for the birds." If moving in an entirely different way than you're used to scares you... Good. :) That's growth... or for our purposes change, or radical transformation. If you kick a bar up over your head and feel like you're going to faint - then it's time for a lesson on yoga-breathing and self-relaxation techniques expressly focused on the accomplishment of the single, scary task at hand.

The path of the samurai is one that overcomes weaknesses and fears.

The path of the yogi is one that focuses on BREATH.

The path of Revelation is one littered with obstacles, challenges, and reasons to turn back.

BREATHE.

CHANGE.

TRANSFORM.

You'll likely meet some samurai, yogis, and overhead squatters along the way.