Hey all you T-Men and T-Vixens, I’ve got a little challenge for ya. It’s Abdominal Month here at the Gym I work in. So I’ve been pulling as many T-mag Ab training articles from the site and circulating them to the unknowing weekend warriors adding to the army that TC is creating (never talk about Fight Club). The Challenge is to see which T-Vixen can perform a Janda sit-up outlined in “the Evolutuion of Ab Training” by Chris Shugart (issue 96). One of the memebers, Laura, performed 6 consecutive Janda Sit-ups with correct form. Check this exercise out that’s been popularized by Pavel Tsatsouline and post your results.
I went to a seminar with Pavel about a month ago and had him sitting right next to me showing me how to do the Janda. Those things are a bitch and I love them. I like to think that I have a decent midsection from martial arts training and the like but I wow. I can do a set of 5 janda, rest and then maybe do 3 more. That was a few weeks ago. I’m up to 3 sets of 5 and soon I’m going to incorporate “Satan’s Ab Wheel of Death” and then some Dragon Flag lifts.
What is so great about the Janda situps is that you are not using the hip flexors at all. For those of you that did or didn’t read the article on the Janda, when you flex your bicep, the tricep relaxes and vice versa. The flexing that you do during the Janda relaxes the hip flexors and it totally works your abs. If you have any specific questions let me know, by no means am I an expert but I picked Pavel’s brain quite a bit because at the time I wasn’t feeling them until the Evil Russian tweaked it a bit.
can u please describe how to do dragon flags and “Satan’s Ab Wheel of Death”…i will be buying “bullet-proof abs” soon (need to save up some $) but i can’t wait to try this two which alot of people at pavel’s website alway talk about
I do not understand how to do a Janda situp, can someone point to a picture?
did u check out “the Evolutuion of Ab Training” by Chris Shugart (issue 96) there is a picture there
I know it sucks to respond by saying that you really need to have someone show you or at least look at a diagram but it’s hard to explain the Dragon Flag but I’ll do my best.
You are on a bench, flat or incline (your head would be higher than your feet on the incline version). You start by lying on the bench and the uprights behind your head. Make sure you back is straight and bring your knees to your chest. Next is the tricky part, bring your body upward and point the toes towards the ceiling and you are doing this by not only pulling hard with your arms but the abs as well. I try and keep my weight on my shoulder blades. After your at the top and flexing your abs you would do the negative and lower yourself back down. Sorry but that’s the best way I could describe them. I do highly recommend the Bullet Proof abs book. I not only like his technique but just like T-Mag, he makes a great use of his sense of humor. As for the ab wheel, it’s much like you see on all those shitty late night informericals but the keys are to never stick your butt out, keep your arms and lats in tight.
What is Pavel’s website address anyway, I looked it up and I can’t find it. It’s not dragondoor.com because that is just a publisher website I believe.
Krak,
I just did a set of Janda’s with a 25 pound plate on my chest for 6. They were tough, but I’m not sure my form was 100% tight. Are your feet alloud to come off the ground? Can the person holding your ankles put their knees on your feet to keep this from happening or is that cheating? I’m definetely getting Pavel’s book, it’s just I’ve got clients asking about this exercise and I just want to get some of the finer points.
Satan’s Ab wheel: Perfromed 17 from me knees using a barbell, but I can only do the negative from the standing position.
thank you krak, i appreciate the description and think i understand how to perform the drangon flag, if i remember correctly that was bruce lee favorite ab movement, so it must be really hard…i am assuming that Satan’s ab wheel is the same as jackknife push-ups on the “evil wheel” in the Evolutuion of Ab Training…thank u once again krak
I prefer to watch a video as I believe that would help explain the exercies much better. Which ab video do you recommend?
I don’t doubt your ab strength at all but there are two things to add to the janda that can increase the toll on your abs. 1st, put either a smaller swiss ball or a pair of shoes between your knees and squeeze the shit out of them. Second and most important is how the partner holds the legs. The person does not hold your ankles or put any weight on your feet. As soon as you have the ability to hook your feet under something you start to use the hip flexors. That is exactly what you don’t want. The partner should hold your calves and the best way to describe it is that you are trying to kick your self in the ass with your heels while the partner is trying to hold you back from doing it.
As for the videos, well I think the book was good but I’m sure if you watch the Bullet Proof abs video you would get to actually see the Janda in action, thus perform it better when you try it.
Yes Dragon Flag comes from Bruce Lee loving to do those exercises.
I feel horrible about this but this hot intern from my office wants me to go to McDonald’s with her for lunch in a few minutes and it’s hard to turn down 39 cent cheeseburgers and the chance to stare at her awhile.
So much for MY abs, I hope yours are doing better than mine.
Thanks for the bomb dude. A couple more finer points to clear up if you please: 1) does the contraction in your hamstrings a maximal contraction that’s not held for very long or is at say 70% and held in a more constant contraction? 2) Do you try to drive your feet into the ground as you “kick” yourself?
BTW, an score with the Hottie Intern? McDonalds is a long way to stretch for me, even for a hottie.
Contraction, I think I understand your question. You are constantly putting tension on your partners hands which are holding the calves. The pushing on the partner activates the knee flexor and hip extesors (hams and glutes) this tension gets the hip flexors to relax, which is what you want. I believe its called the Law of Reciprocal Inhibition. The one muscle flexs and the antagonist muscle relaxs. That’s what my notes say from Pavel’s seminar, my chicken stratchings are hard to read. What part of the world do you live in because I know that Pavel is coming back to Denver in September. BTW, did anyone find out the website for Pavel?