If you’re running a spring marathon, a strong core will definitely help you in the latter miles when the going gets tough. According to running bio-mechanics expert Michael Fredericson, Ph.D, roughly 90 percent of runners have weak abs which leads to faulty running patterns and bad form. Having weak abs can easily translate into taking too long or too short of steps, or a pelvis that swings from side to side. So, what are you waiting for?

If you’re not already following the popular 200 Sit-Ups challenge, now would be a great time to jump on board and strengthen those abs. The six-week progressive program will help take you from your current fitness level right up to a couple of hundred consecutive sit-ups in a matter of weeks. You can either follow the plan online or download the hugely popular iPhone App from the iTunes App Store. The App currently costs just $1.99, but word on the street is that the price will soon be reduced to $0.99 for a limited time period to celebrate National Abs Month.

I waited until lunch time, made sure I was well hydrated and went for it. Actually, the whole final test was a bit of an anti-climax. I managed the two hundred sit-ups easier than some of the workouts from the last couple of weeks and didn’t really feel the burn until the final 15-20. Excellent news!

Just one question – what’s next on the list?

Over the course of the weekend I performed the end-of-week-four exhaustion test to determine which column I’d be following in Week 5. After knocking out a straight 100 in several of the previous workouts, I was sure column 3 would be the one for me. I managed 110 sit-ups during the test before calling it a day – no need to really push it any further.

So, Monday morning soon arrives and it’s time for Week 5, Day 1 – 5 sets of crunches with 60 seconds recovery time between each set.

Required: 54, 60, 45, 36, at least 60

Actual: 54, 60, 45, 36, 100

No problems today, and no real burn until I got to about 65 in the final 100.

Day 2 looks slightly tougher with several extra sets built in to the plan. Wednesday’s workout should be interesting…

PS Two Hundred Sit-Ups iPhone App now available!

No problems with Week 3 Day, although I definitely felt “the burn” in the final 38.

Required: 30 38 23 23 at least 38

Actual: 30 38 23 23 38

Progressing nicely….

Without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to the Two Hundred Sit-Ups Challenge – a similar six-week progressive plan that should take you from an initial base level to being able to perform 200 consecutive good form sit-ups.

I’ve been crunching the numbers and testing the program for several weeks and have had several people involved with testing and providing feedback. I’m happy with the plan and figured New Year’s Day would be the perfect time to launch the challenge – just in time to help with everyone’s goals and resolutions.

So, if you’re interested, head on over to the Two Hundred Sit-Ups web site to learn more about the initial test and six-week program. Good luck and here’s to a stronger core and healthy 2009!

So after my six mile run and weekly yard work was out of the way, I decided it was now or never.

Required: 40, 32, 30, 25, at least 40

I was dreading the opening 40 but they actually weren’t too bad at all. After taking full advantage of the allowed 60 seconds I started on the set of 32; this was where it started getting tough, but I managed to make it through…just. My arms failed me on the next set however, and I could only manage a shaky 22.

60 seconds later I lowered myself into position and gutted out 25 good ones, but could only manage 23 in the final set of the workout; no way could I get anywhere near the required “at least 40″. I’m slightly disappointed, but also quite proud that I managed 142 push ups in one workout – 18 more than my previous highest. Looks like I’ll be repeating Week 5 again next week, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s all progress, right?

Actual: 40, 32, 22, 25, 23

If anyone else is following the plan, please note the slight change in Week 5. On Day 2 and 3, there are actually 8 levels instead of the usual 5 and the time between sets is reduced to 45 and 30 seconds respectively.

With the push ups behind me, it was time to perform the penultimate workout of the six-week Essential Abs program; a nicely structured program that gets progressively more difficult as time goes on.

Today the plan called for 15 reps of each of the following exercises. I usually substitute the frog legs crunch for the corkscrew and switch the isometric back extension for the plank exercise. Today was no exception.

Corkscrew
Hip Up
Reverse Crunch
Crossover
Oblique Crunch
Catch
Toe Touch
Crunch: legs up
Crunch: frog legs
Isometric back extension

Level 3 (Weeks 5 and 6) is designed to be performed 4 times a week and the number of abdominal exercises increases from 6 to 9. Do one set of each exercise, resting just 5 seconds between exercises.

In Week 5, perform 12 reps of each exercise on Day 1 and Day 2. On Day 3 and Day 4 perform 13 reps.

In Week 6, perform 14 reps of each exercise on Day 1 and Day 2. On Day 3 and Day 4 perform 15 reps to complete the program.

The plan also calls for an increase in aerobic activity to 30 minutes three times a week – not a problem for me with my current running/biking schedule.

Week 5:
Level-Three Exercises

Corkscrew
Hip Up
Reverse Crunch
Crossover
Oblique Crunch
Catch
Toe Touch
Crunch: legs up
Crunch: frog legs
Isometric back extension

Workout #1 (Sunday) – 12 reps of each exercise
Workout #2 (Tuesday) – 12 reps of each exercise
Workout #3 (Thursday) – 13 reps of each exercise
Worjout #4 (Saturday) – 13 reps of each exercise

Week 6:
Level-Three Exercises

Corkscrew
Hip Up
Reverse Crunch
Crossover
Oblique Crunch
Catch
Toe Touch
Crunch: legs up
Crunch: frog legs
Isometric back extension

Workout #1 (Sunday) – 14 reps of each exercise
Workout #2 (Tuesday) – 14 reps of each exercise
Workout #3 (Thursday) – 15 reps of each exercise
Workout #4 (Saturday) – 15 reps of each exercise

I started with 45 minutes on the indoor trainer. Riding inside is not the most exciting activity, so I usually follow one of Troy Jacobson’s excellent Spinervals workouts – today I decided on his 13th DVD, Tough Love. Unbelievably, Tough Love is a 3 hour workout, which makes it a really useful training tool for a century bike ride or Iron Distance triathlon. I remember doing the whole 3 hour workout a couple of times when I was training for Ironman USA back in 2004. I can assure you Tough Love is a perfect title for the DVD!

Tonight I was very pleased to be just riding the first 45 minutes. After a quick warm up, the workout progressed into 3 x 10 minutes sessions with a couple of minutes recovery thrown in for a good measure. For the first and third 10 minute block, Coach Troy has you alternate between a minute in an easy gear/high cadence (number of pedal strokes per minute), and a minute in a tougher gear/low cadence. The middle 10 minute block alternates between a minute seated in a hard gear, with a minute standing in the same gear – this one is a real quad burner!

As soon as the 45 minutes were over, I traded my SIDI cycling shoes for my New Balance running shoes, hit play on the DVD player and hopped on the treadmill. The Time Saver II DVD features 3 x 30 minute speed workouts designed to improve speed and form. I chose Workout C which is called the “Speed Combo” and includes several 30 second intervals at a high speed and elevated incline. The recovery time is quite generous and allows your heart rate to recover nicely, but before you know it Coach Troy tells you to crank up the speed/incline for several one minute speed blasts.

I think the 30 minutes finishes with a couple more 30 seconds intervals, but I must be honest, I was quite fatigued, zoned out and just following the DVD towards the end, so I can’t really remember specifics of the workout. I do know I needed 5 minutes of cool down just to get my heart rate down to a comfortable level

After a refreshing drink of ice cold water, I decided to finish the evening off with another Essential Abs workout – this time Week 4, Workout #2, which is made up of 17 reps of the following exercises:

Hip Up
Reverse Crunch
Crossover
Oblique Crunch
Crunch: legs up
Crunch: feet first
Superman

All in all, a challenging but enjoyable 90 minutes of exercise and a great start to the week. The Spinervals and Runervals DVDs are a great series of indoor workouts, and will really bring out the best in you!

Here’s a review of the workout from my other blog which I’ll edit based on tonight’s speed and effort:

Produced by Troy Jacobson’s video production company, LifeSports, Inc., 10k Strength Builder is a 50 minute treadmill workout designed to improve your anaerobic threshold, strength and sense of pacing.

The workout, set to upbeat music which can be turned on or off, starts with a 10 minute warm up at a comfortable “base pace”. Midway through the warm up Coach Troy throws in several 30 second “striders” at 2mph above base pace and a 2% incline. The striders are simply designed to elevate your heart rate and prepare your legs for the impending 5×6 minute repeats.

Once the 10 minutes are up, Coach Troy increases the speed to your estimated 10k race pace. Based on my current fitness I chose a moderate 7.0mph which I knew would elevate my heart rate sufficiently and replicate a challenging pace. Each 6 minute repeat begins gently at a 0% incline, but increases 1% every minute. You finish up at your chosen speed at a 5% incline – pretty challenging and my heart rate of 170 proved this!

(Make sure you’re working out in a well ventilated room and have plenty of fluids available. This is a tough workout, rated at 9 on a scale of 1 to 10 and will soon have you sweating plenty. It’s a good idea to have a towel handy too!)

Thankfully you get a 90 second recovery after each 6 minute repeat, by which time your heart rate will have dropped (it drops quicker the fitter you get) and your legs will be ready to go again. Troy works you through 3 more repeats in the same fashion as the first, each one stressing your body slightly more than the previous one.

The real strength builder is saved for the last 6 minute repeat. You start off at the same speed (by now I’d increased the speed to 7.5mph) and same 0% incline, but after each minute you increase the incline by 2% – thanks Coach Troy! Halfway through the repeat and you wonder if you’ll ever make it, and by the end of the 6 minutes you’re running at a crazy 10% grade at your chosen speed. My heart rate maxed out at 182 beats per minute and my legs were burning so bad, but I made it to the end and was “rewarded” with a 4 or 5 minute cool down by Coach Troy!

I must say to anyone who doubts you get a decent workout on a treadmill, you have to try the 10k Strength Builder. The 50 minutes go by really fast and you know when you’re done you’re going to be stronger and faster for the effort. It’s also great for someone who doesn’t have a local track to run on or who finds it hard to stay motivated running intervals on a 400m oval.

The DVD is available for just $14.95 on the Spinervals web site and in my opinion is really good value. If you noticed that it’s cheaper than other DVD’s in the Runervals and Spinervals Series, this one is classed as an “Off the Cutting Room Floor” edition. Here’s an explanation from Coach Troy:

In our quest to create the most useful and effective workouts in the industry for serious athletes and fitness enthusiasts, we are constantly trying new and improved video production methods. In some cases, our attempts fall short and the video picture quality, sound quality or other aspects of the show do not meet our high production quality standards.

‘Off the Cutting Room Floor’ workouts are fantastic training sessions that we feel fall short on production values but meet our high standards of training effectiveness for our loyal customers. Therefore, instead of ‘scrapping’ these highly effective workouts, they’re made available at a reduced price through limited distribution.

After a few minutes of stretching to help my legs recover, I did the second ab workout in this the third week of the Essential Abs program. I have to say, I can feel the difference in core strength already and although I have some body fat to lose, I can feel the abs firming up underneath. Keeps me motivated to stick with the plan and I’m actually looking forward to Thursday and the next workout!

So, a positive night of training tonight and I’m now feeling much better about my general fitness level. Things are starting to come together but I need to spend time thinking of my goals for 2008 – just like fellow blogger and local running friend Charlie has just done.

What are your goals for the year? Will ’08 be great?

I started with 10 minutes on the bike trainer, switching from easy gears (the small chainring) to harder gears (the big chainring). In no time at all it was time to jump off my bike, lace up my running shoes and hop onto the treadmill for 10 minutes of progressive running. I set the incline to 1% (I never run at 0%) and gradually ramped up the speed until the 10th minute where I eased off slightly and prepared myself for another session on the bike.

I repeated the 2 x 10 minutes three times to finish with a solid hour of exercise and a beneficial workout for my planned duathlon in March. I recognize I have a lot of work to do on the bike, but the treadmill running felt really good tonight, almost to the point I was holding myself back. Very encouraging….

After grabbing a quick drink of water, I decided to take the opportunity to complete Week 2 of my Essential Abs program. I’ll probably begin Week 3 on Sunday afternoon which will give me a couple of days to recover from this weeks core work.