The most crucial area of the body to be trained is the core. It is the body's foundation just like the foundation of a building. The stronger your core the stronger you can become throughout your body. Core muscles are used substantially everyday and need to be trained in some way each day. Muscles that are used each day are harder to develop like calves. With core muscles higher repetitions work best especially for abs. Abdominal muscles can develop like any other muscle and while we all want that six pack we must be careful not to allow the trunk area to grow in the process. Low reps with higher weight will make your abs grow. Keep your reps and sets high to keep your waistline small.

The best thing I did when training my core was to attack it from all angles. If you are a beginner you must start off slow and make sure you develop the muscles before exerting to much effort and injuring yourself. Check with a physician to make sure you are capable of doing core work before starting. Nutrition is key in developing rock hard abs and lowering body fat. The body does not spot reduce well and all core work must be accompanied by training the rest of the body as well and doing cardio exercise for above 30-40 minutes a day. With that said let's begin:

Abdominal Crunches: The abdominal crunch focuses on flattening, toning and strengthening your front abdominal muscles and lower back. This exercise can be performed on the floor or an exercise ball. Keep your abdominal muscles tight as you perform the crunch to prevent lower back injury. Interlace you fingers behind your neck BUT do not pull on your neck while performing this exercise. Keep your feet planted firmly on the floor while lying on your back and allow the abdominal muscles to contract while keeping your lower back on the floor. Higher reps when you are conditioned 3-4 sets of 25-50 reps.

Reverse Crunches: Using an exercise ball lying flat on your back put the exercise ball between your legs and lift your knees to your chest 3-4 sets 25-50 reps.

Side crunches: Using an exercise ball lay on your side on the ball keep your neck and head straight and crunch to the side 3-4 sets 25-50- reps and then turn to the other side.

Back extention: Use the excersise ball and lay face down interlacing your fingers behind your neck (keep your balance) and raise your upper torso to paralell and then back down 3-4 sets 25 reps.

These excersises will get you started on a great core workout. Their are many other excersises for the core. You may also include classes in the Group X room or see a professional trainer to expand your workouts. See you in the gym. Thanks Reid.

Training injuries occur when we are not focused on preparing the muscle group properly, meaning warming up the area or allowing adequate rest in between working that body group, over training or not properly nourishing that muscle group. Bad form during exercise is the biggest culprit of injuries, ballistic movements, impinging movements all contribute to an injury. I see people all the time handling weight they should not handle and can't perform an exercise correctly and end up with a torn bicep, triceps. pectoral, shoulder or worse blow out a knee or injure their back.

I have mentioned before that years ago without proper knowledge of training I injured several body parts by doing the trial and error style of training. I learned fast what not to do when I had to take long periods of time off of training because of injury. The old saying "knowledge is power" when it comes to preventing injuries is the best advise i can give you. Study everything you can about how the muscles work, what nutrients feed them, proper rest and how to train the muscle from all angles with proper form for best results. You can't just walk into a club lay down on a bench press and start doing maximum weight without warming up. That same thought goes with every body part you train. Warm up, increase the weight when you feel your muscle has an adequate amount of blood in that area. Train muscle groups that are close to that area to keep that supply of blood in that area. When you are done feed and rest that muscle group. When training, slower controlled repetitions are safer and will benefit the muscle more than a ballistic movement.

Never drop or throw dumb bells or barbells, use a spotter for heavier sets. Abuse of the equipment in the gym does not impress anyone it shows that you are not strong enough to handle that weight and replace it to the rack properly. Contact a training professional for guidance to get started on a path of resistance training. I have trained for over 42 years and I am still going strong and can't wait to get to the gym. I look forward to seeing you their. Remember "You can't play the game if you are not in the game" No injuries. Thanks Reid.