My workouts this week......

This week I worked out at an outdoor space by the river that the city of Boston built this year.  It was a great reminder that you don't need much equipment to have a killer workout.  I did bodyweight dips, step ups, squats, push ups and rows......and was able to enjoy the beautiful view of the water.  Hydration is definitely key when working out in the hot weather though, be sure to bring water or a sports drink, and drink well before you are actually thirsty if you plan on having a great workout.

The best exercises for sexy abs!

After my first fitness competition, I looked at my abs and wished they were a little defined and athletic looking like some of the other girls who were competing.   I hadn't been training hard for the competition for long, and I had more of a "pilates body" as opposed to the more defined, and slightly more muscular competition body.  For something like this, you might want to add more ab training, to really define, and even build a little....

For the average woman who just wants to look great in clothes, and have sexy, firm abs......total body exercises and a clean, balanced diet are much more efficient that doing exercises which focus on the abs. Squats, dead lifts, rows, snatches, sprints, pull ups, push ups, dips, lunges, kettlebell swings and plyometrics will burn way more fat and calories, as opposed to working the small group which is your abs.

The other day in the gym, I saw a man doing at least an hour of ab exercises, and I would have loved to tell him to get off the floor and do some of the things I mentioned, with a minute of jumping rope in between, because he was a longggggg way from his goal, and not any closer with that workout.  Work smarter not harder!

Most of us actually have a great set of abs, but we need to deal with the body fat which is hiding them!  Concentrate on lowering your body fat, and you'll be pleasantly surprised to see a great set of abs underneath!