I first wrote The ABC Routine in the mid-90’s. It is meant to be a quick and easy reference guide for anybody just returning to the gym for the first time in years, or interested in getting started with some light weight training for the first time ever. The ABC Routine is an excellent general weight training program that will help you “get your feet wet”. However, learning how to weight train properly from a book or article is not a good replacement for good personal training instruction from a qualified coach or expert personal trainer.
Most people reading this have likely seen the movie, “The Karate Kid”, either the newer one with Will Smith’s son, or the original with Pat Morita that I will talk about here. The formula is the same in both films. In the beginning of the movie, Daniel attempts to practice his Karate, taking lessons from a book, but it is not until Mr Myagi adopts him as a student that Daniel’s Karate really begins to develop. Also, in the beginning of his learning process, Daniel questions the seemingly simple and pointless menial tasks Mr. Myagi (Pat Morita) instructs Daniel to perform, but we find out later that these tasks were not so pointless – they were laying the foundation for future learning. You may not yet have access to your own weight training Mr Myagi, expert personal trainer, or qualified coach, so, until then, consider using this ABC routine as a beginner’s guide.
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Pick 2 of the four exercises under each underlined heading. (You will perform 4 exercises total each workout day)
2) Perform 4-5 sets per exercise. (More sets may be required for practice and/or warming up)
3) Do 8-12 reps per set. (Challenge yourself… safely)
4) Use a repetition tempo of 4-1-1
(Lower the weight in 4 seconds, pause at the bottom (or top) of the range for 1 second, lift/raise the weight in 1 second).
5) Rest 1 minute or less between each set. (Stretching between sets is a good idea)
SUGGESTED SCHEDULE
WORKOUTS (see below)
WORKOUT A : “PUSH and PULL”
Push exercises*
- Flat bench Dumbbell press
- Incline bench Dumbbell press
- Decline bench Dumbbell press
- Seated Military Dumbbell press
Pull exercises*
- Bilateral (two handles) pull-downs
- Bilateral (two handles) seated cable row
- Standing Rope Rows from hi cable
- Standing Rope Rows from lo cable
WORKOUT B : “SQUATS and ABS”
Squat exercises*
- Bodyweight Squats
- Front Squats
- Back Squats
- Box Squats
Abdominal exercises*
- Decline Board Sit-ups
- Roman Chair Knee ups
- Bent knee crunches
- Hanging leg raises
CARDIO
Perform 20-30 minutes continuous activity on bike, elliptical, treadmill, jumping rope, or any combination of these options totaling 20-30 minutes.
Pro Tip:
Using an inexpensive sports watch
DISCLAIMER: This routine is followed at your own risk. This routine is not meant to replace the advice of a qualified coach or expert personal trainer. The information contained or implied here is not intended to diagnose or cure any specific illness or condition. Paul Newt, New Energy & Weight-loss Training Systems, EDGE 24 Hour Private Fitness, its employees, associates, and/or affiliated parties are in no way responsible or liable for any injuries, conditions, or maladies suffered as a result of the information given here. Always consult your physician before beginning any eating or exercise program.
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I am having issues with dropping my stomach fat. I have been following a strict diet. That was provided to me by a nutritionist. I switch between the elliptical, bike, and treadmill. Most weeks I am at the gym three nights a week and do a one hour private kick boxing lesson. I am dropping fat in most parts of my body but it just seem to be leaving my stomach area and I don’t understand why. Can you please offer and tips that I can do that targets my stomach.
Thank you.
First, I applaud your effort and enthusiasm. I hope I can bring some ideas to light that will truly help your efforts.
Stubborn fat, especially in the stomach area is very, very common. The short answer is that you have issues with sugar and/or stress that need to be resolved. Body fat follows a distribution pattern based on several key factors, including gender, hormonal profile, age, and ethnic background. Now, one of those we CAN certainly influence by lifestyle changes – your hormonal profile.
I believe it will serve you well to abandon the “calorie in – calorie out” dogma and advice that has severely crippled the mindset of the mainstream public since at least the 70’s. Energy In, Energy Out Diet Theory and applying the Law of Thermodynamics to diet and exercise for the sake of weight loss in THE most misguided notion of the modern age. It simply doesn’t work like that. Without going on a rant here, let me just say that every meal you eat is a HORMONAL event. Every exercise session and workout you perform is a HORMONAL event. When the sum total of your hormonal events lead to a hormonal profile that is in congruence with your bodyweight and body fat goals, you will move toward your appearance, performance, and health objectives seemingly without effort.
Let’s get more into specifics. Examine the food your eating. If your body is preferentially storing body fat on the abdomen, you will be wise to examine the type and total of your carbohydrate intake. Insulin (a hormone) is your likely culprit. But this may be getting more technical than you need. Let’s just start with the idea of eating the most basic of foods ONLY. Nothing out of a box. Nothing with a label full of stuff which you cannot identify. Eat freely of meat, chicken, fish, most vegetables, most fruit, some nuts and seeds. Drink a lot of water. Maybe some unsweetened tea and/or coffee. Reduce your diet to those items I’ve just mentioned and your weight issues WILL vanish within months, at most. But the objection most people have is that they want to “just eat normal” and have a hard time giving up bread, cereal, alcohol, etc. It may serve you best to try to follow one of the popular “Paleo” type diets out there. I would only suggest you don’t try to paleo-improvise by constructing “normal” food items out of only paleo approved ingredients. It sort of defeats the purpose.
Let’s move on to the other major factor, besides carbohydrates, that tends to cause body fat accumulation on the abdomen – stress. Certainly no one can completely and consistently avoid stress. Stress is part of life. What you can to is improve your body’s reaction(s) to stress. Exercise is a method for adapting your body to stress. I think you are on the path that most people choose for adapting the body to stress – cardiovascular exercise. Cardiovascular exercise is great, especially when integrated with other techniques and coupled with an effective mode of eating. One of the problems of cardiovascular exercise is, especially in the long term, it does not build muscle. It can actually accelerate muscle LOSS, which is NEVER a good thing. But, also, more in line with what I am saying, regular cardiovascular-only exercise encourages a specific hormonal profile from the body. It may not be the one you are looking for. Other, more resistance type of activities may push the hormonal profile towards a more favorable result. Free weights are an obvious choice, but also consider yoga or tai chi.
The bottom line is that if your current program and diet are not delivering the results you want, they most likely need to be adjusted. Hopefully, using a hormonal paradigm rather than a calorie paradigm will help you steer yourself towards the efforts that are in concert with your goals.
Thank you for your question and good luck.