Date		Time
BREATH	HIP ROLL	NORMAL	BRIDGING
10 Deep Breaths	2 Sets of 10 slow rolls each side - with 20 seconds rest	2 Sets of 10 lifts with 20 seconds rest	1 Set of 10 slow lifts. Hold for 3-5 seconds in upward phase
STANDING ROTATION	HANDS VIA KNEES	SEATED KNEE TUCKS	SUPERMANS
Alternate sides for 30 - 45 seconds	2 Sets of 10 lifts with 20 seconds rest between sets	2 Sets of 6 - 10 lifts with 20 seconds rest between sets	Alternate sides for 45 - 60 seconds
FGF = Feel Good Factor - Write down how you feel after your sets Record the amount of reps you performed for each exercise.

Swiss Ball Abdominal Workout

Once you have mastered the beginners exercises, why not move on to say the intermediate level. Below are samples of training programs that can be found within our members area.
 
ABDOMINALS SWISS BALL EXERCISES FOR INTERMEDIATES

Date		Time
SEATED CIRCLES	CHEST PRESS	REVERSE TWIST
15 Deep Circles in each direction	2 Sets of 12 - 15 lifts each side - with 20 seconds rest	2 Sets of 10 - 15 turns each side with 20 seconds between sets
NORMAL SIT - UPS	NORMAL OBLIQUE	LIFT AND TWIST
3 Sets of 10 slow lifts. Hold for 3 - 5 seconds in upward phase	2 Sets of 15 slow lifts with 20 seconds rest between sets	Perform 10 - 15 slow lifts each side, holding in upward twist phase for 3 seconds
HIP ROLLS	BRIDGING	NORMAL PLANK
12 Slow rolls each side for 2 sets - 20 seconds rest between sets	2 Sets of 12 - 15 lifts with 20 seconds rest between sets	2 Sets of 45 seconds lift with 20 seconds rest between sets
REVERSE BACK EXTENSION	SUPERMANS	SCISSOR LEG REVERSE CURL
15 Slow lifts aim for 3 - 5 seconds per exercise	2 Sets of 12 - 15 lifts each hand, with 20 seconds rest between sets	Perform 12 slow lifts each leg, holding in upward phase for 3 seconds
www.netfit.co.uk

Advanced Medicine Ball Workout

Moving on from the intermediate exercises, our medicine balls abdominals program is for the advanced user. Great for your workout, notice the difference in intensity More training plans for your abdominals can be found in our members area.

ABOMINALS MEDICINE BALL EXERCISES FOR ADVANCED

Date		Time
STANDING SIDE BENDS	LYING MEDICINE BALL OBLIQUES	AROUND THE BODY (SMALL BALL)
12 - 15 slow turns each side. Breathe deeply throughout	2 Sets of 12 - 15 slow rolls each side - with 20 seconds rest	2 Sets of 8 - 12 turns each direction with a light ball or tennis ball
SEATED TWISTS	WEIGHTED LEG EXTENSIONS	LIFT ONTO CROSSED LEGS
1 Set of 8 - 10 slow bends each side. Hold for 3 - 5 seconds in down phase	Work smoothly for 45 - 60 seconds, holding a small ball between feet	2 Sets of 10 - 12 lifts of the ball with 20 seconds rest between sets
WEIGHTED GOLF SWING	SEATED ROTATIONS	THROUGH SINGLE LEGS
Alternate sides for 30 - 45 seconds	2 Sets of 10 - 15 slow lifts each side. Aim to keep your arms straight	Alternate each leg coming up, passing the ball under then over for 60 seconds
WEIGHTED V-SIT	AROUND BOTH LEGS	FINAL CIRCUIT FEEL THE BURN
		Use the last 3 exercises Work continuously for 30 seconds or (15 each way) on each exercise. Rest for 60 seconds then repeat again.
Smoothly lift ball up to your feet. 12 - 15 reps 2 sets	Pass small ball under both legs for 30 seconds each direction
FGF = Feel Good Factor - Write down how you feel after your sets Record the amount of reps you performed for

Abdominal Training Log

Use this exercise chart to help monitor your progression, and aid motivation by keeping it in view where you workout, ideally stuck on the wall.

Beginners aim for 3- 5 exercises - Intermediates 4 - 6 exercises and Advanced 6 - 10 exercises. Always warm-up and stretch.
 

Sample Medicine Ball Exercises

Kneel to Push Ups
1. Start Position: Your body will be in an upright position sitting on your knees.
2. Hold medicine ball at chest level. Keeping your torso erect fall forward and chest press the medicine ball to a partner or a wall.
3. Upon releasing the ball drop your hands to the floor and immediately complete a push-up.
4. Advanced athletes: To make this more challenging have a partner throw the ball back to you. You will have to explode up with the push-up so that you are back in the seated upright position on your knees. Your partner will throw the ball back to you and then repeat the exercise until the desired repetitions are met.

Single Leg Chops
1. Starting Position: Stand on right leg and your arms are extended holding the medicine ball up and to your right.
2. Bring medicine ball down in a wood chopping motion towards your left foot.
3. During this place motion switch feet so your left foot is now on the ground and your right foot is in the air. Repeat this motion for the desired repetitions and then repeat in the opposite direction.

Slams
1. Stand with feet parallel and knees slightly bent.
2. Pull medicine ball back behind head and forcefully throw ball down on the ground as hard as possible.
3. Catch the ball on the bounce from the ground and repeat according to prescribed repetitions.

Figure of Eights
1. Start Position: Hold medicine ball with your arms extended over your right shoulder.
2. In one continuous motion bring the ball down in front of you like you are chopping wood and the ball should end towards your left foot.
3. Stand back up and raise the ball straight up over your left shoulder and now bring the ball down towards your right foot.
4. You will have to bend at your knees to complete this.
5. Return to starting position and repeat.

Medicine Ball Lunge Crossovers
1. Stand with feet hip width apart. Take left leg and step back approximately 2 feet standing on the ball of the foot.
2. Start position: Feet should be positioned at a staggered stance with head and back erect and straight in a neutral position. Hold medicine ball in front of your chest.
3. Lower body by bending at hip and knee until thigh is parallel to floor. Body should follow a straight line down towards the floor. As you are lunging reach to one side of the leg with the ball.
4. Return to start position and repeat by reaching to the opposite side with the ball. Alternate or switch to other leg after prescribed reps.

Russian Twists
1. Stand with feet hip-width apart.
2. Hold medicine ball with both hands and arms only slightly bent.
3. Swing ball over to the right hip and forcefully swing ball forward and around towards the left side. Reverse back in the opposite direction. Keep the stomach drawn in to maximize proper usage of muscle.

Single Leg V-Ups
1. Start position: Lie back onto floor or bench with knees bent, both hands behind head. Keep elbow back and out of sight. Head should be in a neutral position with a space between chin and chest.
2. Leading with the chin and chest towards the ceiling, contract the abdominal and raise shoulders off floor or bench. Extend arms and also raise one leg up toward ceiling.
3. Return to start position.
4. Remember to keep head and back in a neutral position. Hyperextension or flexion may cause injury. To increase resistance, hold medicine ball in hands. To decrease resistance, position hand closer towards body

Medicine Ball Obliques
1. Starting Position: Lie on your back and raise your legs with your knees bent.
2. Holding a medicine ball between your knees rotate your legs to the side and then return to the starting position. Repeat to the other side.

Lateral Flexion w/ Stability Ball
1. Starting Position: Lie on your side over the stability ball and spread your legs for balance.
2. Hold a medicine ball over your head and curl up towards the ceiling. Lay back down across the ball and repeat the movement.
3. Repeat with the other side.

Reverse Curls
1. Start position: Lie with back on floor or bench with hips flexed at 90° and feet in air holding onto a medicine ball. Position arms at sides with palms down on floor.
2. Leading with the heels towards the ceiling, raise glutes (butt) off floor or bench.
3. Return to start position.
4. Remember keep legs from swinging to prevent momentum throughout the exercise.

Abdominal Exercises

For the following strengthening exercises for the abdominals, start with a 2-10 pound ball. While ankle weights or dumbbells can be used in place of a ball, balls are generally more comfortable and easier to hold with the knees than a dumbbell for reverse curls and knee raises.

Seated ball oblique twists

Sit on the floor with knees bent roughly 45 degrees and clasp a ball in both hands. The first time you try this, you may want to start with no weight. Lean back until you feel the abdominals tighten, and then rotate side to side, forming a rainbow arc above the body, starting with the ball close to you, and then as you feel stronger and more comfortable with the movement, straighten arms out away from the body. To increase difficulty, add weight, lean back farther, or increase the distance between body and ball.

Crunches, ball between knees

Lie on your back with feet on the floor and knees bent. Position a ball between your knees and squeeze legs together throughout the exercise. Raise feet off the floor until thighs are perpendicular to the floor, feet close to the butt. With hands behind your head, exhale and lift the shoulders off the floor as you simultaneously lift the hips off the floor. Emphasize height above the floor, rather than elbows touching knees.

Parallel Bar Knee Raises, ball between knees

Support yourself on parallel bars, dip stand, or a cushioned apparatus with handles. It might be easiest to get into position by standing on a bench placed slightly to the side, and positioning a ball between your knees or ankles before you press up into position. Alternatively, have a partner place the ball between your ankles once you are in position. Exhale as you lift your knees to the chest and crunch slightly forward with the torso, inhale as you lower the legs and return the torso to vertical. Once you finish your set, simply allow the ball to drop to the floor. To make this more difficult, add weight or do not allow thighs to drop below parallel to the floor.

Weighted Hanging Knee Raises, ball between knees

Start with a 2-5 pound ball placed between your knees and hang freely from a pullup bar (or Olympic bar placed above or high in your power, Smith or squat rack) so that your feet do not touch the floor. Exhale and raise your knees to your chest, keeping legs squeezing tight against the ball. Inhale as you slowly lower the legs to starting position. To increase the difficulty, start with thighs parallel to the floor and do not allow feet to return to the floor.

Next month, stay tuned for more medicine ball exercises specifically for climbing!
 

et's start over. Once upon a time there was a forest filled with the strangest of creatures, the kind unbeknownst to most suburban adolescents, contemporary urbanites and protected convent girls. (Now remember kids, we are telling a post-modern story, princesses in cadillacs are common occurrences.  The misinformed wear uggs.  Balenciaga boots are the new glass slipper.) But we digress.

One day, walking into that forest was a little girl with pink boots and a sly grin. By little, we mean in size. Her steps were rather loud, and her voice was a harder match. Her curls were large, however- she was not to be confused with Goldilocks. “Dark brown,” she would tell you, upon the question of her hair colour. “Really dark brown.” If you said black, your face would be met with quick fists and a slap on the nape of your neck. Expect red skin from small hands. But you would laugh.

Now this little girl, in her houndstooth coat would march right through this forest despite all hours of day. When the lights would lower, she would continue like she was six feet tall and two hundred pounds heavier. When the sun was high, she would look the creatures in the eye, and shake hands. They were confused by her outlandish style and effusive nature.

It wasn’t long before various fairytale creatures, princes and beggars alike began to flock to her side without her even knowing. It was a fate she only would have to accept later. But this girl was no princess and she was not locked in any castle, awaiting a kiss. Had she lost her shoe, she never would have simply left it as what girl could leave an oh-so-expensive pair of shoes behind? No, she wasn’t waiting for prince charming. She wasn’t waiting for her suitors.

Imagine to her surprise when one day as she was sitting by herself in that very forest, by a tree, when she was approached by a suitor. And then another. And another. She began to wonder if she was sitting by an enchanted tree, or perhaps there was a jestor around playing a joke on her. This little girl would then swallow back her doubts, and smile back at them politely in hopes they would disappear. She would not notice the crowd of perturbed female creatures behind her, until they would begin to dig their claws into her back. Who’s scared of the big bad wolf now? She could hear them piercingly, their howls implanting themselves into her veins, in her skin. Especially the witch.  Her wickness hated her, and cast a spell upon the beasts to do her bidding. They too, would attack. In temporary fright, she would grasp all around her, reaching for her ipod (in hopes of listening to music, to tune out the world. This is modern day, remember.) and then run. Run until her heart would fall out of her chest, until she was safe, until she was remembering to breathe.

it pretty much sucks that you guys are so far away from me right now. 
i'm so tired of seeing this breaking-up,
getting back together breakingupgettingbackgettingbackbreakingup
i wish i was there to boss you guys around so i could save you from all this shit
you don't need to make these mistakes, i swear you're better off with some lessons unlearned
didn't we learn that at the end of the day, we're too bloody young- don't give me that "i'm 21 shit-"
"don't give me that i'm 19, i'm immature, it's my fault."
don't give me that, don't don't don't.
it's not your fault.
you're still young.
you're not immature.
just if i could only...
i'm no saviour, i can't help everyone, i know.
but fuck that relationship shit guys.

(boys are such a headache with their crushes and sweaty palms, especially when the girl is
nothing special at all whatsoever and way too short and yuckylooking & loud and complicated and justttt...)

anyways whatever join a nunnery i feel safer that way, with you guys there.
because it's big to you guys but oh so insignificant later (it's not enough for baggage i swear don't let it)
because the world is so much bigger than this? you know?
whatever.

i'm here for you, and you know that. so keep calling at 4 am falling apart & i'll keep picking up.

I'm holding here a book; notable, but not the greatest, stolen for me by the latest in a long line of thieves-I kissed you on the street that night on the far side of four. But I didn't like the taste in my mouth or yours....-ANI DIFRANCO