Hard Training

Let's face it: a good waist says it all. In the beach, in the pool or in a disco, when the time of taking your T-shirt off arrives, everyone will be looking at your waist. If all those shrug repetitions don't shape it, maybe it's time to increase the difficulty level. We have asked five of our big experts, all with super shaped waists who die to be like that, to explain us about the most difficult and productive middle section exercises. Many of them are not easy to perform, but if you keep up practising you'll get the model abs you desire. 

WINDMILL TURNS

WORKED AREA: OBLIQUES, LOWER ABS 

CONTRIBUTOR: LaGrande Powe, CSCS, Los Angeles model.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED: Chinning-bar.

INITIAL POSITION: Hang from a bar with open grip, keeping body extended. Take air, contract abs and raise legs trying to go beyond forehead height (you must have flexibility).

EXECUTION: From this position, move your legs slowly and carefully about 90 degrees to the right and then to the left, keeping hips contracted and legs up during the whole move. 'You need to have abdominal strength and control'. LaGrande says, in addition to 'If you have hard femorals, this exercise will be easier no matter if your abdominals are strong too'. 

ROCKY IV

WORKED AREA: ABDOMINAL. UPPER AND LOWER 

CONTRIBUTOR: Paul Logan, model and martial arts expert.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED: A flat bench.

INITIAL POSITION: Lying on a flan bench and holding its side with hands close to ears, and legs extended.

EJECUCIÓN: Take air and raise your whole body, until it points towards chest. Only your shoulders, neck and head must touch the bench. 'Keep your body fully straight' Paul advices. 'Start with one repetition and controlling technique. Execution is harder than it seems'. 

LEG ELEVATION WITH SHRUG

WORKED AREA: ABDOMINAL. UPPER AND LOWER. 

CONTRIBUTOR: Jimmy Peña, MS, CSCS.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED: None.

INITIAL POSITION: Lying on your back your head high and ands holding it, without pulling, legs extended and feet about 15cm from the floor.

EXECUTION: Doubly shrink your body, moving the knees towards the chest at the time you raise you hips and trunk. Reverse the movement lowering the trunk as you extend your legs until reaching the initial position. This exercise has no resting time between sets. 'The path interval is way much bigger than in normal shrug', Jimmy Says. 'Keep feet together and extend your body. If you let the feet touch the ground, or you raise them too high, you can cheat. You must always keep them a few centimetres apart from the floor'. 

OBLIQUE KICK

WORKED AREA: OBLIQUE V LOWER ABS. 

CONTRIBUTOR: Actor and fitness model Sebastian Siegel.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED: Boxing bag.

INITIAL POSITION: Stand about a meter apart from the bag in a karate position: feet separated at shoulder's width, knees bent and one leg ahead the other.

EXECUTION: Squeeze your abs and kick, connecting the higher part of the foot with the bag side. Instead of going back to the starting point, keep the leg up and hit the bag, focused in the waist's contraction while you breathe deeply and slowly. 'Fully contract obliques in the deeper faze of breathing and hold it for 12 seconds', Sebastian advises. 'Your foot should be between waist's and shoulder's level'. Control position; try to keep the leg up. Give 6 to 8 kicks per side. 

ROLLING EXERCISE BALL

WORKED AREA: UPPER AND LOWER ABS. 

CONTRIBUTOR: Tito Raymond, competition bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and fitness model.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED: An exercise ball.

INITIAL POSITION: Lying face down on an exercise ball, placing it under the chest. Place the higher part of the forearms on the ball and stand on your tip toes. Stabilize in that position.

EXECUTION: Slowly flex hips and raise them while you roll your arms along the ball to the wrists. 'Keep the back flat while you roll up and down' Tito says. 'Control your style by doing this exercise next to a mirror. You will immediately feel your abs embrace you as if you had done 25 shrug repetitions'.