Thread: Abs Advice?

I'm putting this out there for anyone who might have a suggestion.........

It was recommended to me by my teacher NOT to do crunches as it shortens the abdominal muscles. This seems to make sense to me (although I don't know exactly how much truth is in that statement), but belly dance isolations alone aren't going to be enough of a workout for my abs. I often feel like my torso is a block of uncooperative meat anyway, so I would like to find some excersises that strengthen and lengthen (if that's the right word). My long term goal is not to have a rippling 6-pack, but to be able to isolate and use the full range of muscles in my core. I want deeper undulations, sharper contractions, stretchier obliques, and--cue dramatic music--to be able to do a belly roll!

My budget is tight right now, so pilates classes will have to wait, but does anyone have any DVD suggestions?
Thanks!

pilates is definitely the way! I say go to the library and try 10 of them! I get bored with the same dvds so I like to change it up a bit....with free dvds that I can change every week.
I usually will watch them before I do them while I'm cooking, doing homework, checking email to gauge if they are any good.
public libraries are awesome!

There are a lot of good pilates DVDs out there that don't require any equipment. The one I used to use was called 'The Method' I can't remember who the instructor was.

I also LOVE Shiva Rhea's abs workout DVD. It's sort-of yoga based, but it's not really yoga.

There's also at least one bellydance specific one out there -- what's the one with the (male) instructor in the pharoah costume on the cover? Where's Souzan, she spoke very highly of that one.

when you do an exercise that builds strength, the muscle fibers get tiny tears, and as they heal the muscle gets stronger. If you do strength training without flexibility training, yes, your muscles will tighten.

However there is no reason you can't do ab crunches as long as you do lots of stretching. I have a core training for belly dancers, and crunches are included in the workout, along with stretches.

Pilates builds strength and flexibility simultaneously.

I believe you're referring to Gerson, "The Fitness Pharaoh": The Fitness Pharaoh: Certified Personal Fitness Trainer for Belly Dancers

Originally Posted by Lauren_

There's also at least one bellydance specific one out there -- what's the one with the (male) instructor in the pharoah costume on the cover? Where's Souzan, she spoke very highly of that one.

I think pilates is an excellent exercise for strengthening the core for bellydancing. It's great for strengthening all of the parts of the muscles that work together in bellydancing, forcing you to focus on using all or part of each muscle.

While crunches are a good exercise for just the abs, they don't necessarily work the other muscles that need to be strong for good bd isolations, including the back muscles, hip rotators, hip flexors and others. Pilates also does a lot of work where you are lying on your stomach, which is good having the flexibility in the chest and hip flexors.

While it may still not be in your budget right now, pilates mat classes are much less expensive than pilates classes using the reformer. The mat classes I take are around $10/ea, which ain't cheap, but then it's not the $50+/ea I would need to pay for reformer classes either. :)

There are lots of great dvd's out there for pilates. Some that I have tried or have heard good things about include those from Stott Pilates, Windsor Pilates, Method Pilates and Classical Pilates Technique. You can probably get many of these from your library or from netflix (if you use netflix). I checked ebay, and there are a number of pilates dvd lots where you might be able to get several at the same time on the cheap.

Good luck!

Are there any Bellydancer - pilates dvds out there? Sounds like something I might want to try.

Crunches and traditional ab exercises are just fine to do...as long as you are dancing and stretching, and doing things to maintain flexibility.

Crunches work mainly the upper abdominal muscles. You would also want to do reverse crunches, which would work the lower abdominal muscles. You can do crossover crunches to involve the oblique muscles. You need variety for a well rounded abdominal routine.

ANY exercise that you do for strength and tone will cause you to lose flexibility if you don't stretch afterwards. Simple powerwalking can cause this in your calves, for instance-you just have to stretch.

I have been strength training for years, as well as dancing, walking, and yoga. Strength training has only made me stronger and helped my dancing, not hindered it.

Thanks everyone!
This has confirmed my personal opinion on the value of crunches ( I just can't see how they are bad for you if done correctly), but I know I could stand to do more stretching. I have been curious about the Fitness Pharoah dvd for awhile now, and I will look into some more pilates suggestions. :)

Originally Posted by Surida

Are there any Bellydancer - pilates dvds out there? Sounds like something I might want to try.

Aubre just released one which I haven't seen but would enthusiastically recommend. I just took her workshop a few weeks ago and must say I was amazed by what a killer burn I felt in my abs the next day. She's a Pilates instructor and spent nearly an hour on conditioning exercises alone!

Also, Suhaila has one as part of her Fitness Fusion series. Haven't done this one, either.

Now you guys have me dying to sign up for a Pilates class!

razia - UI have a friend / classmate (Masters Program) in London whose Mom is a Pilates instructor. Maybe you can figure out a swap for a few months? She's a really cool lady!

{{{HUGS}}}

Hi Razia,
If you're looking for bellydance-related ones:
2 of the DVDs from the Suhaila Fitness Fusion series (the pilates and the yoga one) have some good ab exercises, stretches and undulation/bellyroll-drills. Sharon Kihara's Fusion Bellydance DVD also has stretches, exercises and a short drilling section for ab work.
Khalida

speaking of sore abs from too many crunches.... so what *is* a good way to stretch the abs? They are so tight I just want to hang from a tree limb and stretch myself out...

Originally Posted by joanneraks

speaking of sore abs from too many crunches.... so what *is* a good way to stretch the abs? They are so tight I just want to hang from a tree limb and stretch myself out...

Lie flat on your back and reach the arms out above your head, lift up with the ribs and arch your back slightly to elongate your ab muscles.
For a deeper stretch lie on your front and bring your elbows underneath your shoulders so your hips and legs are still flat on the floor and your head shoulders are lifted. If you are more flexible you can push up onto the hands.
Remember to keep your head lifted and face looking forward so that your neck is in alignment.

For obliques lie on your back then take your arms over to one side, knees to the opposite direction, or you can also do standing/seated side bends with the upper body.

There are some good pilates sets on youtube. I use them when i dont have time to go to my regular pilates classes. I prefer the user who´s called Lazic, on her channel you can pick what set you´d like to do. All videos are 10 minutes long. You can do one program and get almost an hour of exercise. 5 X10 minutes.. I would add some extra stretches in the end though.

Originally Posted by Surida

Are there any Bellydancer - pilates dvds out there? Sounds like something I might want to try.

Suhailia has a bellydance pilates, but I wouldn't really consider it pilates. about 5 minutes of the 30 minutes is probably pilates....but I do really like the DVD. There are a lot of squats/plies and it does wonders in strengthening the legs. Not a whole lot with abs tho.

[ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=dUxMkL-Y3bw]YouTube - Six Pack Abs: Upper & Lower Abdominal Exercises : Warm Up Stretches for Abdominal Exercises[/ame]

My favorite oblique stretch:

Stand tall with legs straight, not bent.

Bend left knee, then lean/stretch upper body over to the right. This will stretch out the left side/oblique area. Repeat on opposite side.

There are a few great pilates dvd's with jennifer kries..i got them out of our library here. She does a lot of ballet stretches as well which keep you really long and lean. In one of the videos, she has 4() 15 minute workouts that you can squeeze into your busy day!

re: stretches - Thanks! that's helpful!

hey sugarhips -

along with the crunches and stretches and whatnot, another fun thing to play around with is a weight belt. I got mine from delilah. they're pretty $$ and with the overseas shipping you'd need at the moment that may be a bit prohibitive, but maybe you can find something else to improvise with? alimah uses her scuba diving weight belt. :)

anyhow, what's great about them: when you strap an extra 10-12 pounds of weight around your hips, you are instantly able to feel and articulate every last tiny little movement. just standing there doing slow ommies becomes an exercise in muscle control, and tones your muscles at the same time. I whip out my belt when I'm desperate to tone up fast for an upcoming show. if I set my mind to it and used it regularly I'd probably be able to fold origami cranes with my abs. ;)

Originally Posted by elisagamal

hey sugarhips -

along with the crunches and stretches and whatnot, another fun thing to play around with is a weight belt. I got mine from delilah. they're pretty $$ and with the overseas shipping you'd need at the moment that may be a bit prohibitive, but maybe you can find something else to improvise with? alimah uses her scuba diving weight belt. :)

anyhow, what's great about them: when you strap an extra 10-12 pounds of weight around your hips, you are instantly able to feel and articulate every last tiny little movement. just standing there doing slow ommies becomes an exercise in muscle control, and tones your muscles at the same time. I whip out my belt when I'm desperate to tone up fast for an upcoming show. if I set my mind to it and used it regularly I'd probably be able to fold origami cranes with my abs. ;)

lol, I'd love to see that ;)
I actually have a weight belt and stuffed the damn heavy thing into my bag--better dust it off!

I am a big fan of balance balls (the big inflatable balls). They always make my abs hurt like nothing else does. I also seem to find doing planks, or certain sit-ups with a medicine ball can work. But I'm no expert, so I'd say maybe just get a single session with a good personal trainer in your area, and tell him/her what you want to learn.

Oh yeah! Get yourself an exercise ball and video (or book). Back when I was teaching aerobics and got into the stability ball classes, my core strength and ab definition went through the roof. It really made a huge difference in how I carry myself, and the strength I have with daily activities and dance.

If you don't have a lot of time for exercise, you can bounce on the thing at work or watching tv.

Originally Posted by Adishakti

Oh yeah! Get yourself an exercise ball and video (or book). Back when I was teaching aerobics and got into the stability ball classes, my core strength and ab definition went through the roof. It really made a huge difference in how I carry myself, and the strength I have with daily activities and dance.

If you don't have a lot of time for exercise, you can bounce on the thing at work or watching tv.

You know, my coworker and i got one to share in the office. It works great, but i think i bounce to much when listening to bellydance music and my head pops up above the cubicle wall. Lots of confused coworker's looks coming this way! On the plus side, my abs are getting stronger :)

Originally Posted by jengal55

You know, my coworker and i got one to share in the office. It works great, but i think i bounce to much when listening to bellydance music and my head pops up above the cubicle wall. Lots of confused coworker's looks coming this way! On the plus side, my abs are getting stronger :)

..l;, That's hilarious!

Oh, the visual.... ..l;,

Any sort of work that strengthens your abs will also cause them to feel "tighter", but that can be avoided by stretching (poses like cobra, etc). Also, when you start up the ab work or change the sort of ab exercises you do, your abs will feel extra tight and stiff because of the change in the way they're working. This isn't bad, just remember to stretch.

An ab technique that I love and happened upon sort of by accident is to start with plank pose (when using proper technique and keeping a very straight back, your abs will be very actively engaged and working like crazy), and then do figure 8s with your hips - either front to back or back to front) - while maintaining the proper plank posture. Hold the plank for as long as you are able (I will hold a regular plank for about a minute, but can only keep up the planks + figure 8s for 30 to 40 seconds) and do this three times with a short break in between. It's awesome for blasting and strengthening those obliques!

Halftruths - that reminds me of an exercise in Michelle Joyce's Drills Drills Drills video - from plank, she has you tip your hips down to one side and then the other. similar concept - trying hip isolations from plank. I wonder what else you could do - hip circles too I suppose.

...

Originally Posted by stetzlaff

Hi, Razia,

It's almost like you are reading my mind. I've been following this thread with great interest. I am just starting bellydance, and in addition to feeling like my abs are an uncooperative hunk of meat, I have about 10 pounds to lose, and all of seems to be sitting on my midsection, so I'm having difficulty even imagining my abs are under there!

For some reason, the multi-quote feature won't work on my computer, so I can't reference it, but elsewhere someone mentioned Gerson Kuhr's 'Fitness Pharaoh' DVD, and I've also been eyeing Michelle Joyce's 'Perfect Hips' DVD, as it's gotten some great reviews on Amazon. Does anyone have any experience with either one of these, and if so, could you give me your impressions?

I had read on another thread that Michelle's 'Drills, Drills, Drills' was a little too advanced for a newbie. Crunches make my neck and back hurt. I've tried a balance ball, the Bean, you name it, I've tried it, but I always end up with pain in my neck and lower back...cr.:


Thanks,


Sylvia

Hmm, what kind of pain is it? From an injury?

I'm just asking because pain in your back and neck might not be the wrong kind of pain; it might be the pain of working muscles.