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Levell Lying Leg Thrusts23- 25reps Lying Leg Thrusts17 - 20reps 24- 25reps /4 Sit-Ups8 -10 reps TOTAL REPS:76reps ..youhavechecked aILthe.ACHIEYEJ).ooxesandyouare no longer getting results, move up to Leve12. 35 1 Level 2 Hanging Knee-ups9 -10 reps Hanging Knee-ups6- 8reps Abdominal Crunches24- 25reps Abdominal Crunches17 - 20reps TOTAL REPS:59 reps -If you have checked all the ACHIEVED boxes and you are no longer getting results, move up to Level 3. Level 3 Exercise ~ mrialamrial'lTriaL3mrial4Re@oalAchieved Hanging Knee-ups14 -15 reps Hanging Knee-ups8 - 10 reps HFL Lying Leg Thrusts14 - 15reps Abdominal Crunches19 - 20reps 1/4 Sit-Ups8 -10 reps TOTAL REPS:66reps -If you have checked all the ACHIEVED boxes and you are no longer getting results, move up to Level 4. Levei4 ExerciseTrial 1.mrial '2mrial3Trial 4Re@oalAchieved Hanging Knee-ups19- 20reps Hanging Knee-ups13-15 reps HFL Lying Leg Thrusts19 - 20reps HFL Lying Leg Thrusts13 -15 reps Abdominal Crunches27 - 30 reps 1/4 Sit-Ups8 -10 reps TOTAL REPS:104 reps -If you have checked.all the ACHIEVED boxes and you are no longer getting results, move. up to Level 5. 36 I LevelS Hanging Knee-ups24 - 25reps Hanging Knee-ups17 - 20reps HFL Lying Leg Thrusts19- 20reps HFL Lying Leg Thrusts13-15 reps Abdominal Crunches30- 35reps 1/4 Sit-Ups13- 15reps TOTAL REPS:124 reps -H you have checked. all the ACHIEVED boxes and you are no longer getting results, move up to Level 6. Level 6 Hanging Leg Raises5 reps Hanging Leg Raises4-5reps Hanging Knee-ups9 -10 reps Abdominal Crunches33- 35reps 1/4 Sit-Ups12 -15 reps TOTALREPS:66reps -H you have checked all the ACHIEVED boxes and you are no results, move up to Level 7. 37 Level 7 Leg Raises9 - 10 reps Knee-ups5 reps Leg Raises5 reps Knee-ups4-5reps Lying Leg Thrusts22 - 25reps 33 - 35reps 1/4 Sit-Ups12 -15 reps TOTAL REPS:95reps -If you have checked all the ACHIEVEDboxes and you are no longer getting results, move up to Level 8. Exerciseillriallllirial 2Trial 3Trial 4Re@oalAchievei:l .. Hanging Leg Raises9 - 10 reps . Hanging Knee-ups4- 5reps Hanging Leg Raises8 -10 reps Hanging Knee-ups4- 5 reps HFL Lying Leg Thrusts29- 30 reps Lying Leg Thrusts?2 - 25reps Crunches35 reps 13 -15 reps . l < ~ n f ' f 'Rock-backs15reps TOTAL REPS:146 reps _.If you have checked all the ACHIEVED boxes and you are no longergetting results, move up to Level 9. 38 Q:Ialreadydosomeoftheseexercises. What'ssospecialabouttheLegendaryAbs program? A:There'snocomparisonbetweendoingthe routines presented here,and doing some of the sameexerciseshaphazardly.That'sthewhole point:you obtainadramatic increase in theef-ficiencyofanabdominalroutine-orany routine-iftheinterdependencyofthemuscle groupsistakenintoconsideration.LegendartJ Abs willaccomplishwhatarandomapproach never will,and will do it in record time. Q:Iworkout quiteabit andspendagood deal of time working to keep my stomach flat. How can just afewminutes worth of exercise equal that? A:Synergism!(Seepage 3.) Q:Idon't haveany placetodothehanging exercises. What can I do? A:Tryadoorway-mountedchinningbar. Theseare inexpensiveandavailable frommost sportinggoodsstores.Besuretogetthekind withmetalbracketsthatscrewintothedoor frametopreventthebarfromcorningloose while you're hanging.Keep your knees bent so your feetdon't drag. Q:Supposethere'snoplaceIcansetupa chinningbar.IstheresomeexerciseIcan substitute for Hanging Leg Raises? A:Unfortunately,nootherexercisecreates suchideallypoorleverageforthelowerabs 39 whileatthesametimepreventingthelower back fromarching.Any substitution potential-ly decreases the effectiveness of the program. However,ifnochinningbarisavailable,a possible(thoughlessdesirable)alternativeis thehangingchairfoundonmanyUniversal machines(oftenmistakenlyreferredtoasa RomanChair).Thedrawbackofusingthis chairisthatitencouragesyourlowerbackto arch,andyou'llhavetoworkextrahardto keep your pelvistilted upthroughouttheexer-cise.Doinglegraiseswithanarchedbackis worse than not doing them at all. If, and only if, findingasuitable place tohang provesimpossible,shouldyoumakethefol-lowing adjustments to the program: IISubstituteanextrasetofHFLLyingLeg Thrusts,accordingtothetablebelow.This extraset should be done first,in place of all hanging sets on a given level. IISkipprogram levels 2 through 4 entirely.In otherwords,whenyouarereadytomove upfromLevel1,godirectlytoLevelS. Levels2through4aredesignedtoprepare youforHangihgLegRaises.Sinceyou won'tbedoingHangingLegRaises,these levelsarenotusefultoyou.Forthesame reason, skip Level 6. . SUBSTITUTING HFL LYINGLEG THRUSTS FOR ALL SETS, HANGINGEXERCISES LEVEL 5 ........... SubstITute1 set,25 reps LEVEL 7 ........... SubstITute1 set,30reps LEVEL 8 ........... SubstITute1 set,30reps LEVEL 9 ........... SubstITute 1 set,30reps Q:What if Idon't havealatpull-downbar for the Pull-Down AbCrunches? A:Pull-DownAbCrunches,whichrequire thekindoflatpull-downbarfoundinmost gyms,isanoptionalexercise;theprogramis completewithoutit.Wehaveincludedit in thecoursetohelpseriousbodybuildersgaina competitive edge. Ifyoudon'thaveaccesstoalatpull-down machine,anotherwaytodoPull-DownAb Crunches isby grasping both ends of an elastic band-slungoveryourchinningbar-and using the band to provide resistance. Q:HowdoIknowwhenit'stimetomove up to the next level? A:There are no extrapoints formoving up to thehigherlevels-your goalshould betostay on eachlevelaslongaspossible.Aslongas youareseeingresultsonalevel,staythere. Whenyouthink it'stime tomove up,takethe appropriatetestintheSelf-Evaluation Section, beginning page 34. Q:I'm not feelingaburn after doing hang-ing exercises.Does this mean I'm doingthem wrong or is it time to move tothe next level? A:Neither.Theprogramisdesignedto generateacumulativefatiguelevel,leaving you with a burn at the end of theroutine-'-not in the middle. If you're able toget through the whole routine without a bum, check forcorrect form,andthentaketheappropriate test in the Self-Evaluation Section.It may be time to move up. Q:Should I do LegendanJ Abs before or after aerobic work? 40 A:If you're doing along aerobicworkout in-volvingcalisthenics,doLegendanJAbsfirst. Otherwise,useaerobicworklikerunning, swimming,cycling,orjumpingropeasa warm-up forthe ab routines. Q:WillLegendanJAbshelpmelosemy "lovehandles"-thoseextrabulgesonthe sides of my waist? A:LegendanJAbsisdesignedtotonetheab-dominalmuscles.Gettingridoflovehandles, ontheotherhand,meanslosingexcessfat. Theseareseparateprocesses,buttheycanbe done simultaneously.For acomplete, scientific explanationofbodyfatreduction,seeHealth For Life's course, Synershape. Q:Whataboutdoingsidebends?I'veal-waysheardthosearethebestexercisefor yoursides.Infact,I'veevenstarteddoing them holding weights in my hands... A:Stop!Theobliquesareoneofthefastest musclestodevelopandoneoftheslowestto disappear-and doing side bends with weights isthe perfect way todevelopthem.The result: permanent, muscular"love handles!"Yes,you want totonetJ;!eobliques,but thetwistingex-ercisesinLegendary Abswilldo allthetoning necessary. Q:What about seated twists? A:Seatedtwistsfallintoacatagorywith otherab / waist/lowerbackcalisthenicexer-cises-theyareneitherparticularlyeffective nor particularly harmful. Thebiggest problem isnot withtheexercises themselvesbutwiththeexpectationsofthe people doing them.They trytomakethem do double duty,toningtheabs/waist/lower back andgettingridoffatinthoseareas.Remem-ber,these are two separ'lte goals requiring two separate types of exercise.Tolose fat you must combineaerobicexercise(running,swimming, 41 cycling,etc.)withpropernutritiontoget your body burning more calories than it takes in. Andtoconditionabdominalmuscle,thereis nothing aseffective asLegendary Abs! I I Thefollowingresponsewasaddressedtoanadvancedbodybuilder, anddealswiththeissueof doinghighnumbersof reps.Althoughthis specific questionisnot onebeginning bodybuildersshouldbeconcerned with,theletter asa wholeshedsvaluablelightonmany of theconcepts discussedinthiscourse. DearMr.---Given the high number of Ab Crunches you've been doing, it's possible you may need toincrease beyond the number of reps specified forLevel 9.I willmake specific recommendations in a moment, but first,some general comments: Nine times out of ten, when an advanced bodybuilder is having trouble with a particular body part, it's because he or she has an incorrect or incomplete concept of how that part should be trained.The misconceptions can be very broad (for instance, the outright fallacythat Straight-Legged Sit-Ups are a good ab exercise)or very subtle (amisguided kineseologic sense, or inaccurate perception of how a particular muscle should feelwhen being trained.) One good example of patently false"common knowledge"isthe idea that building forearms and calves take excessive numbers of reps "because those muscles are somuch denser than the other muscles in the body, and because you use those muscles so much." Bunk! It's true that calves are under tension much of the day from wa!kirig.It's true the forearms are used constantly because we use our hands constantly.But what this builds istheir endurance-their ability to get rid of the waste products that result from muscular energy production. Their strength threshold isonly slightly affected by constant use.However, if you use a weight that allows a muscular overload on the seventh or eighth rep, it's perfectly possible to achieve calf or forearm growth doing short sets. The important element in all training is finding a synergistic combination/ sequence of exercises-to get you around the inevitable problem of strong supporting muscles relieving the load on the muscle you're tryingtowork.When this concept isfullyimplemented, any body part can be trained more completely (more fibersinvolved) and more quickly than it can through traditional techniques. Mike Mentzer was on the right track with his intense forcedreps/negative reps program.However, this was a case of taking a single concept-working a muscle fora short period, but so intensely that even the "deep" fibersare innervated-and building a program on that concept alone. 42 Synergism dictates that all available scientific information be amassed, and all conclusions drawn fromthat information be used to provide a basis for each individual's"ideal"program.It ispossible to eliminate potentially harmful exercises from our workouts.It ispossible todetermine a most effective order forthe most effective exercises for a particular body part.It ispossible to go beyond saying "This exercise isgood forthis body part.So's this one.I guess I'll do 5 sets of 6 to8 reps of each and callthat my program."Don't get me wrong-hit or miss scheduling does yield results ... ... slowly. The point isthat when thinking about increasing rep numbers, it's important toconsider the way the elements of the program work together.Hanging LegRaisesand HFLLying Leg Thrusts are first in the program because they work the lower abs and have the potential tobum you out fast,since they affordthe absthe worst possible leverage.Consequently, subsequent exercises shouldn't require high rep numbers todo their job. If you feelthe need to do 200Crunches, it's probably because you are not doing enough Leg Raises, or because you're not doing them properly.I assume youknow all about concentrating on the muscle you're trying towork, but humor me and take another look at the picture of the wrong wayto do Hanging Leg Raises.(page 7)Doing them without the hips rocking forwardmaximizes psoas involvement and minimizes abinvolvement.If you do them likethat,you will never get a burn out of the program because the initial fatiguing is not taking place. Bythe way, doing Hanging Leg Raises incorrectly isdeceptive-you may still feelthem i ~your abs. Not asmuch as when you do them correctly, but enough tofoolyou into thinking your abs are being properly targeted. If you can easily handle the recommended numbers of reps forboth kinds of leg raises, try increasing to25or 30Hanging Leg Raises and 10 Knee-ups, and then 40or so reps per set of HFL Lying Leg Thrusts (more if necessary).Just be sure tomaintain the proportions of one exericse to another as presented in the routines.You could alsotry using ankle weights. As far asthe number of Ab Crunches and 1/4 Sit-Ups goes: If, after increasing the number of leg raises, you still need todo 200or more toget a burn, it's OK todo that many.Keepthe exercise order the same, though.. Inthe fifteen years I have been working with bodybuilders and different versions of this program, there has never been a case where, given the sorts of questions you are asking,the answer did not lie at least in part inimproving mental focusduring the exercises.It's easy todisappear into a mental void while cranking out high numbers of reps.This just doesn't work.Every rep must be themost important ever! Good Luck, and Happy Training! Jerry Robinson President, Health For Life 43 Abdominals:Technically, the rectusabdominis (see bottom of this column); less techni-cally,the superficial muscles in the abdominal region:the rectus abdominis and the external obliques. Abs:Informalterm forthe abdominals. Balanced Development:Proportional devel-opment of opposing muscle groups (e.g. biceps I triceps). Functional Strength:The ability of the body tobring a coordinated muscular effortto bear on external resistance in everyday situations, such as moving a refrigerator. Leverage:The mechanical advantage pro-vided by position. Love Handles:Fat deposits on the sides of the body at waist level. Obliques, External:Muscles that travel from the lower eight ribs diagonally down and forward tothe edge of the rectus ab-dominis. Obliques, Internal:Muscles that lie under-neath the external obliques, and run from thetop of the hip bone diagonally up and forwardtothe bottom of the ribcage and the edge of the rectus abdominis. Optimization:Maximizing output fora given input. Overloading:Forcing a muscle to act against resistance greater than that which it can easily overcome. Rectus Abdominis:Muscles running fromthe bottom of the ribcagetothe top of the pubic bone (see abs, abdominals). 44 Resistance:The opposition to motion result-ing from the combined effect of load and leverage. Synergism:Combining elementstocreate a whole greater than the sum of those ele-ments. Tension:Muscular contractile force. Timing:(Alsocalled pace.)The combination of rep speed, rests between sets, and rests between exercises.