By Larry Twohig • Photography by Charlie Suriano
TRANSCEND
Secret Techniques for Extraordinary
Abs & Super Strength.
When was the last time you really pushed your limits with ab
training? When was the last time you experienced that deep
soreness through the midsection, the kind that causes you
to wince in agony every time you laugh, sneeze, or cough?
Surprisingly, even though rock-hard abs play a pivotal role
both aesthetically and functionally, such suffering is usually
a distant memory.
CRUNCHES
M
ost bodybuilders and strength
athletes throw in some easy
abdominal exercises at the
end of their routine as an afterthought
— if at all — and as a result, many
suffer from underdeveloped, soft
midsections, and a weak link in the
body’s muscular chain and visual
centrepiece. They breach two cardinal
principles — overload and priority.
And even though gain doesn’t demand
pain, when it comes to under-worked
muscle groups, soreness often assures
adequate shock. But delivering
adequate midsection overload is
usually overlooked.
So, how do you continue to shock
your abs and increase the intensity
without adding weight to crunches or
sit-ups? Easy — you manipulate
leverage to place your
bodyweight in a position where the different names. Gymnasts are
abs must work maximally. Leverage- widely renowned for their incredible
tension (LT) drills incorporate intense displays of strength, flexibility, and
isometric contraction to annihilate power — all attributes that have a
plateaus in ab development, direct carry-over to bodybuilding
bestowing upon you a granite and strength sports. All you had to do
midsection as well as enhanced overall was take one look at the physiques
strength. So, if you’re a glutton for displayed on the still rings at the
punishment, give it a shot, but don’t Athens Olympics, and you’d be hard-
say I didn’t warn you! pressed to disagree.
The Exercises
L-sits, ab wheel pikes, and
dragon flags are drills derived from
gymnastics conditioning, and if
you’ve been in the iron game for
a while you may recognise
some of them under
Efim Kourbatski demonstrates the dragon flag
 Transcend Crunches

With sophisticated positioning,
bodyweight exercises can develop
seeminly superhuman strength. And
even though I don’t expect you to
run out and join a gymnastics class,
there are certain components of
their training that can be of benefit
to bodybuilders. Trunk integrity and
tone are, after all, vitally important in
the gym and on-stage.
Priority
To harden soft abs, you must
prioritise trunk training. LT requires
complete concentration as well as
ample strength in the upper body
and pelvic region. So, either start your
Always aim to do the most
repetition method, which is what
most bodybuilders already apply
when training the midsection.
Tension
Ideally, all three methods should
be integrated to produce optimal
conditioning, but for the purposes
of this article, we will focus on
maximum effort — since LT employs
disadvantageous leverage to generate
extreme force, or load. Force
across a muscle is called tension.
Anecdotal and scientific evidence
points in the same direction: the
generation of force is the most
essential requirement for strength
exercise. This occurs every time you
train, even during dynamic exercises,
when the target muscle is lengthening
and/or shortening. Every movement
engages three types of muscles: prime
movers, synergists and stabilisers.
With L-sits, ab wheel pikes, and
dragon flags, static contraction of the
rectus abdominis, the much sought
after six-pack muscle, plays a key role
in stabilising the spine throughout,
acting as the synergist.
Almost every muscle-training book
ignores the fact that every exercise
involves prime movers, synergists,
and stabilisers. Normally, authors
focus almost entirely on the movers
and not the many other muscles that
assist and stabilise the different parts
of the body to enable the movers
to execute the chosen exercise.
Sometimes the work done by the
synergists and stabilisers is far greater
than that done by the movers, an
effect that we exploit with LT.
you’ll lose control and collapse to the
floor or the bench before anything
gives. If in doubt, you should perform
the suggested build-up exercises
before attempting the real deal.
The body’s intrinsic safety
mechanisms, called mechano-
receptors, have a knack at knowing
beforehand when too much is
enough, and they have a tendency to
shut down a contraction if the load
detected is above a certain tension
threshold. Nervous inhibition of this
type is a normal phenomenon, usually
occurring towards the stretched
position in a given range of motion.
Many beginners experience this
shutdown threshold the first time
they fail on a limit bench press
attempt, as their pectoral stretch
receptors decide they’re shutting
down to prevent muscle damage in
the prime movers. The weight crashes
down to their chest, requiring quick
action from a spotter, but at least the
be desensitised, as apparent in an
experienced powerlifter grinding
out a heavy lift again and again until
actual metabolic, and not nervous,
failure ensues. Elevating the shutdown
threshold allows for greater overload
of the target muscle group.
Strength
Practising LT augments overall
strength in two ways: structurally
and neurologically. Structurally, a
secure, well-braced spine enhances
strength in conventional exercises
by increasing stability, control and
confidence, allowing for safer and
more efficient transfer of force
through your trunk.
Neurologically, LT teaches you how
to deliberately contract synergists
and stabilisers in order to transmit
additional strength to the prime
movers. In PNF (Proprioceptive
Neuromuscular Facilitation) this
phenomenon is referred to as

amount of work while staying

muscle remains intact! irradiation, where use of maximal
Obliques Needless to say, having the resistance promotes overflow of

as fresh as possible, in order The obliques and the transverse synergists or stabilisers hit such muscle activity.

abdominis, among other spinal
to maximise the contraction stabilisers, are also forced to engage
statically due to the high loading
and minimise fatigue, as well demands. In addition to a well-
developed six-pack, strong, toned
a speed-limiter would not be a
good occurrence when spinal
integrity is of concern. With proper
training, however, this reflex can
1/3 V
In order to perform a given
movement, the brain sends a signal
through a motor neuron, activating
and coordinating different muscle

as the chance of injury. obliques are critical for a trim waist

workout with these drills or perform
them separately as another session.
If you do LT at the beginning of a
workout, be sure not to follow with
any large compound movements
requiring major trunk stability, such
as squats or deadlifts. The extreme
force you’ll need to generate for LT
will accelerate fatigue, which can be
counterproductive. Always do the
most amount of quality work while
staying as fresh as possible.
Overload
In order to generate a training
effect, a muscle group must receive
adequate overload, and there are
several ways to adjust intensity to
accomplish this. Russian research
simplified things, identifying three
distinct training methods: the
dynamic effort method, which
focuses on intention to produce high
velocity; the maximum effort method,
which focuses on grinding a heavy
load for maximum tension; and the
and size gain. The higher the
tension, the stronger the stimulus for
muscular development. Less tension
is generated during a dynamic
(pseudo-isotonic) contraction than
during a static (pseudo-isometric)
one, where the muscle is fighting not
to lengthen against a load too heavy
to move concentrically.
The load you’re handling will
determine how quickly you can move.
The faster the speed, the lower the
tension and the slower the speed
the higher the tension — to a certain
point. The higher the tension, the
more you grow. Faster reps allow you
to use heavier weights, but reduce
tension, so you’re trading size for
power and speed. This is why many
Olympic lifters move mind-boggling
weights explosively, but they don’t have
massive physiques like bodybuilders.
Six-pack
In a static contraction, the muscle
length does not change during the
and improved performance. The The L-sit
external obliques run diagonally on
either side of the ribs to the pelvis,
producing lateral flexion or rotation
when contracted ipsilaterally. Under
heavy load they contract bilaterally
to aid the rectus in spinal flexion.
So even though LT doesn’t include
twisting, they are heavily recruited.
Consider the transverse abdominis
a thick belt running around your
midsection, stabilising the spine
under heavy load. The stronger the
obliques and transverse, the stronger
your muscular corset. Greater spinal
support allows more efficient transfer
of force through your trunk.
Your body is intrinsically
programmed to integrate synergists
and stabilisers; otherwise it would be
impossible to perform demanding
movements effectively. By challenging
the abs with a heavy load in this
fashion, they are effectively trained
for their primary function —
supporting the spine via synchronous
static contraction of the anterior
kinematic chain.
Safety
If you aren’t strong enough for these
LT drills, you may feel pressure in your
lower back, and more likely than not,

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 Transcend Crunches
➊ The ab wheel pike
➋ attempt to train muscles in isolation.
➌ contracting the synergists, stabilisers,
➍ So, by mastering the requisite
➎ boosted strength and chiselled tone.
➏ compound strength movements, such
➐ believe. Tone can be achieved without
88 Australian Ironman
groups. The higher the perceived
demands of the movement, the higher
this motor unit recruitment.
In other words, if the body perceives
having to control more load, inertia,
or momentum, a stronger signal
from the motor neuron is initialised,
which in turn activates more muscle
fibres. Since motor neurons typically
span several muscle groups, it is
counterproductive for coordination to
The body is intrinsically programmed
to synchronise the activation of
certain muscle groups, as well as
inhibition of their antagonists, in
order to promote efficient movement.
We are, in effect, designed for muscle
group integration.
By consciously focusing on
and antagonists involved in a
movement, the perceived movement
demands get bumped up. In doing
so, the brain is tricked into sending a
stronger activation signal to the target
muscle group, effectively increasing
the contraction in the prime movers.
The contraction seemingly irradiates
out from the ancillary muscles.
skills of LT, you can instantly lift
more in any exercise. Powerlifters,
weightlifters, gymnasts and arm-
wrestlers have known about this trick
for decades, and now so do you. No
matter your goals, build up to these
exercises, do them with perfect form
and you will reap the rewards in
Tone
Tone is a property of muscle, not
to be confused with definition. Tone
describes the quality and quantity of
residual contraction in the muscle
fibres, so the stronger you are, the
more tone your muscles exhibit. This
is why Arnold built his routine around
as power cleans, push presses, and
squats. By increasing his strength, he
noticed a vast improvement in muscle
tone. And conversely, he noted how
those bodybuilders excluding the
power movement appeared soft, and
not so “Herculean”.
Strength and size do not go hand-
in-hand as many would be led to
gaining size, if that’s what your goal is.
Just keep the training volume (sets and
reps) low, while keeping frequency
(number of sessions per week) high.
Doing so will stimulate neurological
strength gain more than size. Your
muscles will learn to contract harder,
as motor unit recruitment patterns
are trained, and as a result they will
appear and feel harder.
Definition concerns the visibility
and apparent separation of the
skeletal muscles. This is achieved by
carefully controlling caloric intake
and output, to promote metabolism
of unwanted subcutaneous fat — in
order to expose the muscle you’ve
toned underneath.
Size
If size is your goal, then rejoice.
Muscle held in a lengthened position
under load, for enough time, has
been proven to increase mass rapidly.
You will need to maintain a higher
training volume during specific body
part sessions, leaving adequate time
for recovery and consuming enough
calories to support growth. In order
to increase the volume with these
exercises, as well as the time under
tension, it would be wise to add sets
instead of repetitions. That way you
avoid sacrificing quality for quantity.
FP AD
Remember that in LT, you never train
for fatigue.
The overload provided by LT will
bestow upon you quality muscle
mass. The maximum effort method
compels sarcomere hypertrophy
and hyperplasia, which means that
the actual contractile elements grow
and multiply, causing an increase in
muscle fibre size. Compare this to
typical ‘pumping’ methods, where
sarcoplasmic hypertrophy occurs,
temporarily inflating the space
between the muscle fibres with fluid.
The best time to emphasise
hypertrophy is in the off-season or
during winter, when you’re not too
worried about extra calories affecting
definition. Although strength,
hypertrophy and definition can be
obtained concurrently, the extent of
the results makes it inadvisable for
those seeking maximum size.
Power Breathing
Developing the tension required
to perform LT drills demands certain
prerequisites. The first is power
breathing, and strength athletes
have also been using it alongside
irradiation since the beginning of
physical culture, whether they knew it
or not. Let’s give it a go.
First, breathe in from the belly,
filling your lungs to about 75 percent
capacity. Actively contract your pelvic
floor muscles by tensing the glutes,
pulling the rectal sphincter up and
tightening the abs as if you were
going to take a punch. Also think
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 Transcend Crunches
Rick Ravensdale demostrates the ab wheel pike
about squeezing the muscles that
would stop urination in mid-stream.
You should feel rigid like you are
wearing a corset, and your tailbone
should be tucked under, in a slight
posterior tilt. While maintaining this
contraction, forcibly expel the air in
your lungs, and make a hissing sound.
Imagine the air escaping slowly from
a leaky car tyre. But be sure not to
release all the air, as you need some
residual pressure to protect your
back.
Power breathing generates high
intra-abdominal pressure, which
activates the pneumo-muscular
reflex, boosting strength incredibly.
One reason elite martial artists exhibit
such tremendous power is because
they are capable of harnessing this
innate response. Powerlifters also
utilise it to lock out the concentric
phase of a lift. And, controversial as it
may be, just about everybody uses the
Valsalva manoeuvre when grinding
through the sticking point on the
toilet. Although the Valsalva makes
use of the pneumo-muscular reflex, it
differs from power breathing in that
no air is allowed escape. Most doctors
would agree that breath-holding is
not a safe activity for those afflicted
90 Australian Ironman
with high blood pressure. But for
healthy individuals, consider power
breathing a safer alternative.
Another common fear associated
with high intra-abdominal pressure
is herniation. However, these result
when strain is placed upon ill-
prepared pelvic floor muscles. During
breath-holding, the viscera gets
pushed downward via the action of
the diaphragm and auxiliary muscles.
While exerting, if the pelvic floor is
too weak or simply not braced to
receive this pressure, a breach could
occur, pushing the intestines down
and out through the muscular wall.
After all, this muscle layer is the only
thing sealing the pelvic floor.
Herniation is actually quite
uncommon in elite weightlifters
and powerlifters, even though they
employ extreme intra-abdominal
pressure to handle enormous
weights. Knowlingly or not, they
have mastered this phenomenon
and strengthened the pelvic floor
musculature. By practising LT, you too
can become hernia-proof.
Hollow Position
The hollow position is the second
prerequisite for LT. To practise it, lay
flat on the floor facing up. Tuck your
tailbone under slightly making sure
that your lower back stays in contact
with the floor. Actively contract the
pelvic floor muscles as described
above, along with the glutes and the
quads. Again, imagine bracing for
a body shot. You can see how this
dovetails with power breathing.
Your legs should have
automatically risen. Hold them out
straight about 10-to-20cm above
the ground. Your shoulders should
be rounded so that your shoulder
blades do not protrude. Holding this
position, only your lower back and
hips should be touching the ground.
Now, attempt to slide your fingers
between your lower back and the
floor. Ideally, there will be no space
for your fingers to slide under. Press
your lower back down even more,
imagining crushing your fingers had
they been able to slide under. Hold
this position long enough for fatigue
to ensue. Note the tension required,
even in the upper body.
The muscles of the chest, upper
back, shoulders and arms work
together to maintain position.
Consciously tense these muscles
even harder, along with the glutes,
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Controversial as it may be,
just about everybody uses
the Valsalva manoeuvre when
grinding through the sticking
point on the toilet.
quads, and pelvic floor, irradiating
the contraction to the abs. The goal
on the following exercises will be to
maintain this static contraction in the
trunk, throughout the entire drill.
L-sit
Once you’ve learned the
prerequisites, it’s time to get to the
meat of LT! Face out on a dip bench
or set up two benches or kettlebells
in parallel. The L-sit is performed as
a static hold and is a good warm-up
drill. Support your bodyweight with
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your arms, pressing through the heel
of each palm.
Assume the hollow position and lift
your legs straight out to 90 degrees.
Lean back, making sure to keep the
quads, abs, pecs, lats, and triceps
fully contracted. Watch your balance.
Imagine pulling your kneecaps in
towards your groin and point the
toes, while keeping the feet and knees
squeezed together tightly. The legs
and hips will be slightly above the
hands. Hold this position for as long
as possible, fighting gravity until your
legs drop below 80 degrees or until
you lose the posterior pelvic tilt.
The first few times you try
this exercise, the hip flexors may
experience slight cramping. Don’t
let that scare you off. Until your ab
strength catches up to your hip flexor
strength, you may feel that the hip
flexors are getting over-worked. If this
occurs, cut the set short, giving the
abs time to recuperate and allowing
any cramping to subside.
Since L-sits involve a static hold,
it is best to utilise short, panting
breaths in order to maintain pressure
for the duration of the exercise. Your
body will find a natural rhythm after
some practice. If you can’t maintain
tension, you may feel some pull in the
lower back. If you cannot lift your legs
above 90 degrees, it may be due to
weakness in the abs and hip flexors,
and/or poor hamstring flexibility.
In either case, you can build up to
the L-sit with the bent-knee version,
the supported knee-tuck. Perform
reps or holds depending on your
capability. If you find the L-sit too
easy, and you can hold it for more
than a minute, then build up to the
V-sit, which involves leaning back
further and raising the legs higher.
Australian Ironman 91
 Transcend Crunches
Don’t lose the hollow position when the going gets tough
Ab Wheel Pike
The ab pike is performed either by
hand-walking, or with an ab wheel,
available at most sporting goods
stores at a very moderate price. The
latter is preferable as it increases the
difficulty, providing better results.
Before attempting to go all the way to
the floor with the pike, be absolutely
sure that you are able to roll out about
halfway without back strain, while
maintaining a hollow posture.
Stand with feet shoulder-width
apart facing a wall about one-and-
a-half metres away. Place the wheel
on the floor in front of the feet by
bending at the knees and the hips.
Commence power breathing as
you start your descent and hold
the hollow position contractions
as the going gets tough. Slowly roll
the wheel out towards the wall,
maintaining a tight grip on the
handles. Press hard with the pecs,
lats and arms, and make sure the
tailbone does not untuck.
Note how leverage decreases as you
roll out. The pivot point is at the hips,
Sample Routines
Goal Sets of L-sit/Pike/Flag
Hypertrophy
Abdominal Tone
Overall Strength Boost
92 Australian Ironman
so the lever arm lengthens as the
horizontal distance between wheel
and hip, and hip and feet, increases.
The longer the lever arm, the more
torque at the pivot and the higher the
tension. The entire body, especially
the lats, triceps, and quads, must
contract hard to maintain control.
When the wheel touches the wall,
gently place your knees on the floor.
It would help to have something soft
underneath should you lose control
during the descent. Roll the wheel
back to your knees by visualising
your hips being pulled up and back
to an imaginary rope. This completes
one negative rep.
Over time, gradually increase your
distance from the wall, until you are
capable of stretching out fully to 180
degrees. The hollow position must be
maintained and your knees must not
touch the floor until the end of the
movement. Consider one full rep an
accomplishment.
If you don’t maintain tension, or
you’ve bitten off more than you can
chew, you may again feel the pressure
more in your lower back than in the
Reps of each
2/4/8
1/3/5
1/1/1
abs. If this is the case, you can build
up with pikes from the knees, or pikes
from the feet with the wheel on a ➊ ➋ ➌
decline board.
If you’re not too fond of the wheel,
or you still find it too hard to control,
stick to the hand walking until you
build up enough strength. Be sure
to take small steps, though, about a
hand’s length throughout. Conversely,
if you find the ab wheel pike too easy,
and you can perform five full negative
reps, then add in the concentric or
positive phase of the movement,
where you come back up without
letting the knees touch the floor.
Dragon Flag
The dragon flag was Bruce Lee’s
favourite ab exercise and his mastery
➍ ➎ ➏
of it led to perhaps the hardest
midsection of all time. Including
it in your routine will have your
midsection looking and feeling like it
has been carved out of rock. However,
due to its severe demands, be sure
that you can perform at least one full
ab wheel pike before even attempting
a dragon flag.
Start off by lying face-up on a
bench, holding on above your head, or
on the ground, holding kettlebells as a
counterbalance. Bring your knees up
towards your chest and lift your hips
into the air. Now extend your hips and
knees until your body is in a straight
line, pointing up almost vertically.
➐ ➑ ➒
Make sure that your weight is on your
shoulders and not your neck.
Once upright, initiate power
breathing and assume the hollow
position. Slowly lower your body
towards the bench keeping it straight
like a board. Squeeze your glutes,
keep your kneecaps pulled up and
point the toes. The tailbone must
remain tucked under as you keep the
feet and knees squeezed together
tightly. Prevent your backside from
touching the bench or floor for as
long as possible.
This time the pivot is at the
shoulders, so leverage decreases as
the horizontal distance between this you may feel the pressure in your You could also try the exercise on strength increase is relatively joint-
point and the feet increases. Once lower back. With this exercise there an inclined board, which will allow angle specific. You will gain strength
you have safely reached the bottom, is a high chance of hitting your you to go past horizontal without within 15 degrees from the angle
release the tension in your body, shutdown threshold. If in doubt, build touching down as early. you are holding under load. For the
completing one negative rep. up to the dragon flag by maintaining midsection this is especially fitting,
Once again, if you don’t maintain an appropriate amount of hip and/or Program Design as the spine deviates no more than 15
tension, or you’re not strong enough, knee flexion, thus increasing leverage Remember that LT recruits only the degrees in extension or 30 degrees in
and reducing tension. Over time, maximum effort method to produce a flexion in most normal individuals.
gradually decrease this flexion until training effect, so don’t rely solely on Although LT supplements and
you are at 180 degrees. it. You may be tempted to utilise static amplifies strength, athletes seeking
Frequency If you find the exercise too easy and training for other body parts besides performance enhancement shouldn’t
1 1-2x/week you can perform three flawless reps the midsection, and that’s fine, as rely on static training methods even
lasting 10 seconds each, then proceed long as you know why you’re doing so. for the midsection. They need to
1 3-4x/week
to the full version, lifting straight back Keep in mind my reasons for using it prioritise compound skill-based drills
1 4-5x/week up the same way you came down. for the abs. With static training, the that encourage integration of muscle
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 Transcend Crunches
groups and stimulate efficiency in
neural control — which will improve
motor unit recruitment patterns.
The nervous system is tuned to the
performance of tasks, not simply force
generation, so by including skilful
movement demands in training, the
appropriate muscles will be activated
and strengthened optimally.
Force generation is also velocity
dependent, so if you train slowly, you
move slowly. For athletes, speed is
as important as skill, so the dynamic
training method, or power training, also
needs to be prioritised. Even if you are
primarily concerned with aesthetics,
training for midsection power will
inevitably improve your muscular tie-
ins, symmetry and overall strength.
To improve skill it is also important
to incorporate the repetition
training method and movements
which mimic the athlete’s activity.
In bodybuilding, skill is commonly
referred to as the mind-body
connection. Enhancing this link
comes with increased skill, in this
94 Australian Ironman
Don’t let the pelvis untuck and keep your legs as high as possible
case your ability to turn on muscle
fibres and motor units as efficiently as
possible to do more work, in order to
get bigger and stronger.
Conclusion
Because the resistance is
bodyweight for LT, the challenge
comes from the lack of leverage, and
the tension that is required by the abs
to maintain a hollow posture. Unlike
most types of training where the
progression is always in the direction
of more load or more volume, in LT the
progression involves disadvantageous
body positioning.
LT is designed to impose high
loading demands, in order to recruit
the maximum amount of muscle
possible. It has been shown that
extremely demanding exercise of
sufficient intensity will recruit not only
the fast-twitch muscle, but also the
slow-twitch and other muscle fibres.
It might sadden you to know that
these three exercises are actually
considered to be in the most basic
FP AD
category for gymnasts. But don’t feel
too bad, because if you’re able to
master them, you’re still in the top
three percent of bodybuilders with
regards to abdominal strength.
Incorporating skilful repetition
training and dynamic effort
complements the maximum effort
method of LT nicely — as long as the
proper exercises are selected. All three
methods can be integrated into your
current routine, for improved function
and enhanced aesthetics. So, transcend
crunches and reap the rewards in super
strength and granite tone.
Editor’s note: Individuals suffering
from back problems or high blood
pressure should consult their physician.
No exercise should be attempted without
supervision from a trained professional.
Be sure to check out Bulletproof Abs in
the IRONMAN bookshop on page 174 for
more great ab exercises utilising LT and
PNF or visit www.sportzblitz.net. Email
LarryTwohig@aol.com for questions or
comments on LT. IM
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