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How To Make Abdominal Exercises More Effective

Aaron Potts — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 11:58:43 +0000

Everyone wants that vaunted “6-pack” but what many people don’t know is that you can take the same amount of time that you would normally take to do abdominal exercises, yet get more out of them. Check out this video if you want to know how to make abdominal exercises more effective!

One of the exercises in this video is called “V-Up Roll-Ups,” and it is featured in the P90X Extreme Home Training Program as part of the Ab Ripper X 15-minute workout routine. That routine is brutal, but very effective!

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FitnessDTV Effective Exercises – Push up Jacks

Aaron Potts — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:47:48 +0000

In this edition of FitnessDTV, we are talking about Effective Exercises – in particular, the Push Up Jack movement that is part of the Insanity 60-Day Total Body Conditioning Program.

This movement is a great upper body exercise, it doubles as a core exercise, and it also increases your neuro-muscular coordination, which in turn improves your balance and agility, while also keeping your brain sharp.

As with all push up movements, try to go down as far as you can, getting your upper arms parallel to the ground or lower.

Click on through to learn more about the incredible Insanity 60-Day Total Body Conditioning Program. Insanity consists completely of body weight exercises, so you can do it anywhere, and you do not need any equipment at all.

Review of Insanity – Core Cardio and Balance

Aaron Potts — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:43:33 +0000

Insanity Before and After Pictures and Fit Test Results

In this on-going review of Insanity blog series, the truth behind the Insanity 60-day weight loss program is revealed with a play-by-play description of what the program is really like – and more importantly – if Insanity really works!

The Core Cardio and Balance workout is done during the “recovery” week of the Insanity 60-day program, which is actually Week 5 of the series. This DVD is meant to give you a decent workout during the recovery week so you don’t lose any ground after the first month of Insanity. There is a clear difference between the Month 1 Insanity workouts and the Month 2 workouts, and the Core Cardio and Balance series is used to help you recover from Month 1, while preparing for Month 2.

Insanity Core Cardio and BalanceThe Core Cardio and Balance routine is only 37 minutes long, so at face value it seems like it is going to be an easy workout, especially compared to the more intense Month 1 workouts that I have reviewed in this Review of Insanity series.

Warm-up

As with all Insanity workouts, this DVD starts out with exercises to get your heart rate and your core body temperature up in preparation for the workout. The warm-up during the Core Cardio and Balance routine is about 7 minutes long and includes some fun exercises that aren’t normally seen in the Insanity warm ups.

The length of each exercise during the warm up is a full minute, so your heart rate does indeed get elevated within just the first few exercises. Some of the unique movements include football shuffles and over the log hops, as well as some 2-exercise combination movements such as high knees/power jacks and fast feet/alternating hook punches.

Stretch Routine

The warm up is followed by a short stretching routine before jumping into the rest of the workout. The stretching routine is about 5 minutes long and includes mostly standard stretching and balance movements that were seen during Month 1 of Insanity.

Primary Workout

The main portion of the Core Cardio and Balance routine is about 16 minutes long, and flows quickly from one exercise to the next. Some of the exercises are more challenging than others, and as is always the case with Insanity exercises, you can modify the way that you do any given exercise in order to make it more or less difficult based on your present abilities.

Keep in mind, however, that by this point in the 60-day Insanity workout program, your cardiovascular and your muscular endurance should both be significantly higher than they were at the beginning. If you are not yet noticing both the weight loss and the physical fitness benefits of the program, then you are doing something wrong. Get with a Beachbody Coach from some free advice on how to get things on track.

During the primary workout portion of the Core Cardio and Balance routine, you are encouraged to take it somewhat easy since you are supposed to be in a recovery mode. However, at the same time you should listen to your body and recognize the difference between an acceptable recovery intensity level vs. simply slacking off.

Hip Flexor Burners and Oblique Movements

During the next 6 minutes of the workout things get a bit more challenging for a few minutes before cooling down with some fairly easy abdominal movements.

The “hip flexor burners” are a series of 3 exercises all done while standing on one leg while exercising the opposite leg. Each movement is 30 seconds long, and once you start the 2nd movement, you can’t put the working leg back on the floor until the 3-exercise series is done. It’s a challenge, but it feels great afterward.

The oblique exercise portion of this segment is a simple knee-t0-elbow movement that is a good exercise, although not terribly difficult. Your body gets a break during that portion so your heart rate can drop in preparation for the next segment.

Shoulder Burners

This segment of the Core Cardio and Balance routine will be the hardest part for most people. It is a series of five consecutive shoulder exercises, all done back to back while in the plie squat position.

It seems easy as you start out, but this segment really focuses on muscular endurance, and each movement targets the same muscles over and over, just from a different angle. At 30 seconds each movement, your arms are at or above shoulder level for almost 3 full minutes by the time you finally get to shake it out. It burns, but that’s where the results come from!

Cool Down and Stretch

The final 3 minutes or so are spent stretching out all of the muscles that were worked during the exercise routine, and letting your heart rate return to normal.

By the end of the workout, you feel accomplished, because it wasn’t a simple workout, but at the same time you don’t feel like you are about to pass out, as is often the case with the other Insanity DVD’s!

Buy Insanity Now!

Review of Insanity – Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs

Aaron Potts — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:02:51 +0000

Insanity Before and After Pictures and Fit Test Results

Insanity Pure Cardio
and Cardio AbsMost of the Insanity workout routines consist of a similar and very effective format: Warm-up, stretch, an intense interval training circuit routine, and then a quick rest before continuing with on-going interval training circuits for the entire workout. That format repeats until the end of each workout, and then a thorough – and very welcome! – cool-down stretch finishes out the exercise session.

In the Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs routine, however, the format is quite a bit different, and quite the challenge as well.

The routine starts out with a warm-up and stretch, just as the other DVD’s do, but once the stretches are done and the actual exercises start, they never stop until the entire workout is done.

Most of the Insanity workouts are based on high-intensity interval training followed by brief periods of rest, back to high-intensity, then rest, back to high-intensity, and so on. It is that “reverse interval training” that makes Insanity different than any other home workout program on the market right now.

In the Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs routine, however, once the high-intensity starts, there are NO BREAKS of any kind. You just keep “pushing through” as Shaun T calls it, and you don’t stop exercising until you get to the cool-down stretch at the end.

The period of time that you do this constant exercise is approximately 20-minutes, which doesn’t seem like much when you see that number in black and white. However, this is the Insanity 60-day weight loss program that we are talking about, not some mamby-pamby, ineffective workout program. The Insanity exercises are all challenging, effective movements, and they all share a similar trait:

The better you are at the movements, the harder they are and the more benefit you get from doing them!

In other words, Insanity isn’t one of those routines that you can “conquer,” and then have to move on to something more challenging later on down the road. People don’t conquer Insanity – they survive it!

Cardio Abs

The Cardio Abs routine is actually a separate workout than the Pure Cardio routine, but if you follow the Insanity workout schedule – and you should – then the Cardio Abs workout is done immediately following the Pure Cardio routine.

Pure Cardio is just about 40-minutes long, and the Cardio Abs routine is about 16-minutes long. The total exercise time on the day that you do Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs will be just under 1 hour.

The Cardio Abs routine itself is a good combination of intense cardiovascular movements along with effective abdominal exercises. The ab movements are meant to target not just your “visible” abdominal muscles, but the inner muscles as well, collectively making the workout a core training workout, not just an ab routine.

For anyone who has done the Ab Ripper X routine in P90X, the Cardio Abs routine is not as difficult from a purely abdominal training perspective. However, the combination of intense cardiovascular training along with intense ab and core movements makes Cardio Abs every bit as challenging as Ab Ripper X, just in a different way.

Conclusion

Overall, the Insanity Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs workout routine is at the same time a welcome break from the format of the other workouts, yet it is also just as challenging as the other routines.

There are no Insanity workouts that don’t leave you dripping with sweat and feeling a serious sense of accomplishment, and in that regard, the Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs routine gets the job done just like the rest of the Insanity workouts.

Buy Insanity Now!

INSANITY!

Aaron Potts — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:03:21 +0000

Beachbody’s latest home exercise program looks to be the best yet – if you can TAKE it, that is!

Shaun T (of Hip Hop Abs fame) has taken his already impressive game to a whole new level with Insanity™, and this program has got RESULTS written all over it.

Beachbody has a veritable arsenal of great exercises videos, products, and supplements, but Insanity™ has one MAJOR thing going for it that even P90X doesn’t have - you don’t need a single piece of exercise equipment!

One of the biggest reasons why people don’t work out at home is because they feel like they have to spend a fortune – and then find a place for – a lot of exercise equipment. With Insanity™, all you need is a towel to wipe off the sweat, and a nearby bottle of water!

Check out the videos below, and judge for yourself. As for me, I’m sold, and I already have my copy of Insanity™ at home. For my wife and I, today is Day 1 of 60. I will be posting my thoughts on the program as I go along, and will be posting before and after pictures as well.

C’mon aboard and try Insanity™ for yourself – if you’re brave enough!

Click each picture for a short – but intense! – video

Get ready for the most intense workout program ever put on DVD. INSANITY™ is the 60-day total-body conditioning program that will push your limits. Want to find out what you’re made of? Get ready to dig deep. Get ready for INSANITY™.

In her 40′s, Alysia who has 5-year-old twins never thought her stomach would be taut. But after Insanity, her upper abs are the best they’ve ever been. And that’s without having done any crunches in the program! No weights, no gimmicks – just sweat.

Working out with Shaun, Rachel pushed herself every day. And when she thought she had no more to give, Shaun assured her that she did. It’s that sort of dedication to dig deep in the workout that has Rachel’s size 6 jeans now falling off of her.

In the Army for ten years, Lloyd thought he was fit. That was before Insanity. Getting into his first day, Lloyd was drenched in sweat and admitting that, “this is really intense.” Then he realized all he had finished was the warm-up!

Doug is excited having lost 30 pounds and 30 inches of body mass, 6.5 inches around his waist, from Insanity. He says he is “shocked” comparing his before and after photos. It’s like he’s in his 20′s again! And he’s not done yet.

Though he was a serious athlete, running in marathons and triathalons, Chris E. wasn’t prepared for the results he was going to get from Insanity. After 60 days, Chris knows a new level of fitness and is ready to tackle his 40′s and beyond.

So what about YOU? Are you crazy enough to tackle Insanity™??

Buy Insanity Now!

How to do the Air Bicycle Abdominal Exercise

Aaron Potts — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:03:15 +0000

Done properly, the air bicycle abdominal exercise is a very effective movement because you are engaging your upper and lower abdominal areas at the same, while simultaneously exercising your hip flexors.

Although there is really no such thing as the “upper” and “lower” abdominal area, there are certain exercises where you will feel the burn in one area more than the other, which is what makes the air bicycle movement so effective. By keeping your shoulders elevated, you are tightening up the part of your abs that are closest to your chest while at the same time moving your legs which targets the hip flexors and the lower abdominal area.

The keys to this movement are:

Don’t stop until you feel the burn, and even then try to go for more reps
Support your head with your hands, but do not pull on your head
Bring your knees up as far as you can on each repetition
Focus on every repetition rather than just getting into a “groove” of back and forth movements

Air Bicycle Abdominal Exercise

For an incredibly effective abdominal training routine, be sure to check out the Ab Ripper X portion of the P90X Extreme Home Training Program.

P90X Review Day 8, Core Synergistics

Aaron Potts — Tue, 27 May 2008 16:56:09 +0000

The Core Synergistics workout in the P90X^® program is a ton of fun, but it is far from easy! Be prepared to be humbled as you try to do some of these movements!

The basic idea behind the P90X Core Synergistics workout is that the more you engage your core muscles, the stronger you will be for all athletic movements, for all real-world movements, and for injury prevention as well. That is all very true, and since the core muscles include the inner and outer abdominal muscles, the side abdominal muscles, and the muscles of the lower back and the spine, strengthening those areas is simply an all-around great idea.

Also, this is one of the P90X workouts that happens during each of the three recovery weeks (Week 4, Week, 8, and Week 13), and it’s a great workout to keep up your intensity level, while at the same time allowing your joints, muscles and connective tissues to get a much-needed break after the previous week’s very challenging workouts.

One very cool thing about the Core Synergistics workout is that you only do each exercise once, rather than repeating movements as some of the other P90X workouts had you doing.

Exercises during this workout include: Stacked Foot/Staggered Hands Push-ups, Banana Roll, Leaning Crescent Lunges, Squat Run, Sphinx Push-ups, Bow to Boat, Low Lateral Skaters, Lunge & Reach, Prison Cell Push-ups, Side Hip Raise, Squat X-Press, Plank to Chaturanga Run, Walking Push-ups, Superman/Banana, Lunge Tricep Curl Press, Towel Hopping, Reach High & Under Push-ups, Steam Engine, Dreya Roll, Plank to Chaturanga Iso, Halfback, and Table Dip Raise

Overall, this is one of the most fun and entertaining of the P90X workouts, yet at the same time, you are totally working hard throughout – it’s no vacation!

Don’t be afraid to watch the DVD before you do this workout. Some of the moves are a little complicated, so if you want to ensure that you get the most out of the workout itself, take a look at the video before you are actually ready to stand there and go through the workout.

See other related P90X Review posts:

P90X Review Day 4, Yoga X

Aaron Potts — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:02:51 +0000

OK, for all of you people who think that yoga is for wimps, I challenge you to try the P90X® version – Yoga X! Not only is it incredibly challenging, but rather than just perverting yoga into some mindlessly intense workout, Yoga X actually flows in a manner that is both extremely effective, as well as executed in a manner that is true to the yoga lifestyle and philosophies.

Yoga X is based on Hatha Yoga, and as Tony Horton talks about in the video, the benefits of yoga apply to average people who simply want to be more healthy and more flexible, and they also apply to professional level athletes and sports participants – and, of course, everyone in between.

The level of muscular control, mental focus, and overall body coordination that yoga requires are enough to make even the most in-shape person question their level of overall fitness. Believe me, I have been doing weight training and cardiovascular training for more than 20 years, and there were some yoga poses that pushed my muscles to the extreme, and also produced a massive amount of body-cleansing sweat.

Yoga may look easy, but when done in the Yoga X manner, it is both challenging, and extremely rewarding as well, not to mention the strength, core stabilization, mental focus, and flexibility benefits that come from doing it on a regular basis.

There are far too many individual movements in the Yoga X program to give a review of each pose, so I will instead just touch on the major sections that this workout is divided into: Moving Asanas, Balance Postures, Floor Work, Yoga Belly, More Floor Work/Cool-down.

NOTE: Give yourself plenty of room to do this workout. You’ll need a length on the floor as long as your body is with your arms extended fully overhead and your toes pointed out, and you’ll need that same vertical distance in order to stand up on your toes and reach for the sky. You’ll need the width around you equal to the width of your body with both arms extended out fully to your sides.

Moving Asanas

This is the most physically challenging part of Yoga X from a strength and endurance perspective. Keep a towel close by because after 10 minutes or so (or less!) you will be sweating profusely. Perspiration is great for cleansing toxins out of the body, so don’t combat it by making it cooler in your house. In fact, if you keep it warm, it will increase the physical benefits of sweating, plus the overall feeling of being cleansed by the end of the workout.

The Moving Asanas part of Yoga X includes plenty of repeat movements, which is great because – especially if you’re a beginner – the repetition really helps you to get the hang of the movements, and to increase your ability to do them effectively.

Some of the movements in this section include the Runner’s Pose, Warrior One, Two, and Three, Reverse Warrior, Twisting Triangle, Prayer Twist, and the Half Moon. As with all yoga movements, concentrate on your breathing, and Tony will remind you of that several times during the DVD.

The Moving Asanas part of this workout lasts for quite awhile, and constitutes a large portion of the “extreme (X)” part of Yoga X. After this part of the workout, several parts of your body will be very fatigued, making the movements for the rest of the workout challenging, even though they are not as physically hard from a muscular strength standpoint as some of the earlier poses.

Balance Postures

This portion of Yoga X is not very long, but it is still challenging, and it makes for a perfect transition from the intensity of the Moving Asanas to the less intense Floor Work that follows.

One of the challenges in this portion of the workout is that you are standing on either one leg or the other during the poses, and your legs are very tired at this point from the earlier movements. One thing to consider when you are standing on one leg is whether or not to lock your knee in place. If you do, then it is harder to balance, but the strain is taken off of the front of your thighs. If you don’t lock your knees, then your quadriceps (front of your thigh) are strained because they are already tired, but it is easier to balance that way.

Movements in this section include Tree, Royal Dancer, and Standing Leg Extension, and they are all challenging in their own right.

Floor Work

The intensity is not nearly as high by this portion of Yoga X, but that is not to say that it isn’t still very challenging. As with most yoga movements, the length of the stretches can be modified in various ways in order to make it more intense or to increase your flexibility as you become more flexible and build up your strength levels.

Movements in this section such as the Cat Stretch and the Frog will be welcome opportunities to really stretch out and be grateful, while movements like the Bridge, the Wheel, and the Table can really challenge muscle groups that have already gotten plenty of work during the session.

Yoga Belly

For anyone in the beginning of their P90X journey, you will at first be appalled by more abdominal exercises after having just done Ab Ripper X on Day 1 and Day 3, but the addition of these yoga ab movements will increase the speed of your progress in the abdominal area, as well as give your body new challenges that are not covered in Ab Ripper X.

Also, unlike other abdominal exercises, the Yoga Belly movements are static movements for the most part. You get into a pose, and then hold it there. This allows you to really make that “mind-muscle” connection (neuromuscular coordination) while at the same time strengthening your front and side abdominal muscles, as well as the muscles in your lower back.

Exercises in this section include Touch The Sky, Boat, Half Boat, Scissor, and Torso Twist & Hold.

More Floor Work/Cool-down

By this point in the workout over an hour has transpired, and you are pretty well spent. Even the people that Tony Horton has in the video with him – all of whom are in incredible condition – have been really challenged by Yoga X. The stretching and cool-down exercises in this portion are a welcome wrap up to a very challenging exercise session.

Movements such as Happy Baby, and Child’s Pose are relaxation and stretching that are more than just welcome at this point, and Corpse Pose and Fetal Pose are aptly named yoga exercises, because that’s about how you feel by the end of Yoga X!

Tony wraps it all up with the Meditation Pose including some surprisingly relaxing heart-felt “ohms” that he encourages you to do as well. Although I’ll admit to not actually vocalizing the ohms myself, I did get a real sense of peace and accomplishment listening to Tony’s all-encompassing audio finale’, and that was a great way to gratefully close out an incredible workout session.

Conclusion

Overall, I have to admit to being impressed with the Yoga X workout. In my years as a personal trainer and just overall exercise enthusiast, I never got around to peeking behind the curtain to see what yoga was all about, and I see now that – done properly – it has a lot to offer.

I would definitely recommend Yoga X for anyone who thinks that yoga is not an intense and effective workout, and I would certainly recommend it to any present yoga enthusiast as a way for them to fine-tune their techniques, and to really take their yoga workouts to the next level.

See other related P90X Review posts:

P90X Review Day 1, Chest and Back and Ab Ripper X

Aaron Potts — Fri, 02 May 2008 19:30:20 +0000

The P90X chest and back workout is no joke! It is as intense as they claim it is, and at the same time it is fun, and radically effective!

Even as difficult as it was, Tony Horton does a great job of both motivating you to really push your limits, while at the same time encouraging you to take breaks when you need them. There are also several water breaks when you can catch your breath, and plenty of time devoted to warming up, as well as cooling down.

The Exercises

This workout is divided up into 2 “rounds”. You run through the entire workout once, then they change things up a bit and run you through the entire thing a second time. By the second time around, you are truly grateful that you are on the downhill slide towards the end of the workout!

Exercises during this workout include: Standard Push-ups, Wide Front Pull-ups, Military Push-ups, Reverse Grip Chin-ups, Wide Fly Push-Ups, Closed Grip Overhand Pull-ups, Decline Push-ups, Heavy Pants, Diamond Push-ups, Lawnmower, Dive Bomber Push-ups, Back Flyes

Ab Ripper X

By the time you get to Ab Ripper X, if you are working out with a buddy, you are hugging and giving each other high-fives, and in some cases, you may actually feel like crying with joy because the chest and back workout is over! However, the ab routine is approximately 16 more minutes of fun, and although your chest and back get a break, your abs will be screaming for mercy in no time.

Exercises during Ab Ripper X include: In & Outs, Seated Bicycle (forward and reverse), Seated Crunchy Frog, Wide Leg Sit-ups, Fifer Scissors, Hip Rock n’ Raise, Pulse Ups, V-up Roll-up, Oblique V-ups, Leg Climbs, and Mason Twist

Conclusion

The chest and back workout is very challenging, yet very effective. The specific exercises that were chosen not only get the job done, but they are put together in an order that allows you to use a different muscle group while the previous muscle group is recuperating.

Notice the word “recuperating” rather than “resting”. There are no significant “rest” periods during the entire 45+ minute workout.

Ab Ripper X incorporates a few “standard” abdominal exercises, but overall it is a very unique and well-rounded abdominal workout. Each exercise is only done once, for a total of 25 repetitions, so even as challenging as it is, you only have to make it through one time.

Overall, the Chest and Back workout and the Ab Ripper X workout live up to the P90X standards of intensity and effectiveness, yet at the same time plenty of encouragement and motivation are given. Tony and the other people in the video make it fun, the music keeps you going, and you end the workout with a smile on your face, even though you are completely wiped out.

2 thumbs up!

See other related P90X Review posts:

How to Lose Weight by Dancing

Aaron Potts — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:35:30 +0000

People have been sweating it out on the dance floor for years now, and the fact that it is a great workout is pretty well understood. However, like any workout, there are ways to get the most out of it, or ways to minimize the benefits that you’ll get.

People who go to night clubs or dance parties to get their groove on can certainly work up a good sweat, and burn off some calories. With a good mix of music or a DJ who really knows how to work the crowd, it can really be a lot of fun, as well as a way to get some great exercise. Unfortunately, night clubs and parties usually come with ways to retard the weight loss benefit in the form of high-calorie drinks, snacks, and other foods.

If you want to just “cut a rug” and have a blast, then by all means, at least get the exercise benefit out of it, even if you aren’t going to lose any weight. However, if you want to have the fun of dancing, and ALSO the weight loss benefit, here are some ways that dancing can crank up your weight loss efforts!

A Consistently elevated Heart Rate

One of the best ways to lose body fat is to keep your heart rate elevated for long periods of time. Notice the term “lose body fat” as opposed to the term “lose weight”. Many allegedly miraculous weight loss programs cause you to lose water weight or even healthy muscle tissue, both of which are unhealthy, short-lived, and can actually cause you to gain more weight back after the program.

Your mission when it comes to weight loss is to lose BODY FAT, not just to lose weight. Body fat goes away whenever your body has a need for energy that cannot be met by whatever calories are presently in your system. Specifically, whenever you elevate your heart rate into your Target Heart Rate zone (roughly 60%-85% of your maximum heart rate), you open the flood gates of your body’s fat burning ability.

If you have ever really gotten into a dance set, at a party or otherwise, you know that you are breathing heavier than normal, you start to sweat, and your body starts to go looking for energy. That’s the “sweet spot” whenever you are in a position to start losing weight, right there on the dance floor. However, that is provided that you don’t hit the chips and dip table or suck down a beer as soon as you get off the floor…

Increased Metabolism

In addition to just raising your heart rate so that your body goes looking for additional calories from stored body fat, dancing raises your metabolism more than a more “traditional” exercise because dancing utilizes so many different muscle groups.

It would be impossible to list the specific muscle groups that are used when dancing because it obviously depends on the type of dancing that you are doing. However, the thing to remember is that whenever you dance, you use many muscle groups all in conjunction with each other, and that “confuses” your body about where to obtain the energy for that activity. The more intense your dance routine is, and the more muscle groups you manage to incorporate, the more “confused” your body will get.

The benefit to confusing your body in this manner is that not only will you burn calories during your dance activity, but you will continue to burn calories long after you stop. The more you can crank up your metabolism during any type of exercise activity, the longer it will take your body to “normalize” afterward.

So, the next time you feel like getting a little “freaky” when you dance, go for it!

A Powerful Core

Your “core” muscles encompass many different muscles groups, including your inner and outer abdominal muscles, your side abdominal muscles, the muscles of your lower back, and also the musculature that supports your spine. Having a strong core is necessary for many reasons, not the least of which being the prevention of injury, increased mobility, and the ability to do activities that people with a weak core cannot do.

Although dancing uses many different muscle groups, it all starts in the middle, where your core muscles are. You can’t gyrate your hips, bend over backwards, dip your partner, or do any other fancy (and calorie burning) dance moves if you can’t control your core muscles.

Not only will dancing increase the strength of your core and your brain’s ability to control those core muscles, but having a strong core also sets you up to do other activities later on with an increased sense of “solidity,” for lack of a better term.

Whenever you feel like you have a strong core, it is the same idea as building a house on a solid foundation. Anything is possible whenever your central power unit is in great shape. The confidence of having a strong core will cause you to be more willing to do other physical activities later on down the road that will enhance your weight loss efforts, in addition to the calories that you burn during your dance routine.

Boost to your Self-Esteem

Right on the heels of a cranking up your confidence by building a stable core comes the related benefit of raising your level of self-esteem. Dancing in a manner that makes you feel good about yourself carries over even after you get off the floor. By getting in touch with your body and controlling it in such an intimate and precise way, you feel mentally more in touch as well.

Look at the crowd at any night club or party, and look at the people who are dancing vs. the people who are just watching. The dancers are having fun, they aren’t bored, they aren’t shy, and they are rarely all alone. Even a dancer who goes to a night club alone does not stay that way for long, as he/she gains momentum and self-esteem as their mind and body come together while dancing.

In addition to just having a dance partner at a party or a night club, however, that self-esteem tends to carry over into other areas of your life as well. When you feel confident and in touch with your body, and you put your body “out there” frequently on the dance floor, it becomes a lot more difficult to consciously pack on unnecessary “curves”.

Picture yourself getting busy on the dance floor, shakin’ your thing, and having a blast, and then try to picture yourself wolfing down a double cheeseburger, a large order of fries, and a sugar-filled soda. Those two pictures just don’t mix, do they?

As with any other exercise protocol, you can get a lot out of dancing, or you can get the minimum benefit by not taking it very seriously.

If you want to take it seriously – and use it as a fun and very effective way to lose weight – then get your groove on in the privacy of your own home with exercise routines built specifically for the dancer in you: Turbo Jam and Hip Hop Abs.

Lose some weight, and learn how to be the center of attention on the dance floor all at the same time. Now that is time management!