The 30 Day Ab Challenge

RooBabs over at Work Those Lower-body Curves has come up with a workout challenge that would appeal to both hard-core fitness experts and novices: For the next 30 days, come up with an ab exercise routine (and stick to it, of course); an ab/core workout at least 3 days a week (or every other day, whatever works for you). No rules on what you do - which makes the challenge more of a "personal best" than a competition.

I only just ran across her blog through Total Transformation, so this comes at a good time for me. My workout schedule has finally morphed into something resembling a routine, and I've settled on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays as "Ab Days," which certainly meets the criteria. On those days I do a combination workout which involves mainly body exercises like Jackknifes, pushups, planks, and various types of crunches that work directly on the abs and related areas. I've also recently incorporated some "Shovelglove" exercises to help tone up my core. I try to get in 15 to 20 minutes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings when I get up. On Saturdays I try to stretch it out a few more minutes.

On the off days, I do free weights. I could probably do a wider range of resistance training, but as my home gym is in the same room as the washer & dryer, ironing board, and several sets of storage shelves, I have to be careful of conserving space.

Mondays and Fridays I concentrate on upper body exercises: Biceps, triceps, chest, shoulders; I don't do the same ones on Friday that I've done on Monday.

Wednesdays are for my legs and back: squats, lunges, and rows. I only spend a day on legs because I try to bike several days a week, both for cardio and strength.

I like biking better than running, it seems to be a lot easier on my feet and ankles. The cardio routes are 5 to 6 miles which I try to finish in 20 to 30 minutes. I have a 10 mile route that I use for exercise, and I try to finish that in under 40 minutes. It doesn't sound like much, but anyone that has biked in New England knows that the area is not known for the flatness of the terrain.

For the challenge: My wife said that she would take some "Before" pictures of me tonight. I'll be logging my weight, and if I can find a tape measure, I should probably log my waist size as well.