My HardCORE Ab routine

One of my readers asked me about my ab routine the other day. The truth is that I rarely train my abs. I just happen to have some abs due to genetic coincidences and all the rock climbing I did in early years. My abs are still worked regularly in static movements such as chins, squats etc.

When I do work my abs, however, I usually work them in a combination of the following exercises:

Reverse crunches on a crunchboard : 10-15 reps/3 sets
Redcord crunches : 15-20 reps/3 sets
Kneeling cable crunches : 15-20 reps/3 sets
Bench crunches : 20-30 reps/3 sets

I love the reverse crunches because of the intenseness of the exercise and the easy way of adjusting the resistance from easy to certain death (try the 80 degrees board with ankleweights and send me a video. I'll post it here on my blog) Remember that the abdominal part of the exercise is the rounding of the back, not the hipjoint movement. I also like the intensity of the redcord crunches. Roll up as tight as you can get and straighten out in a controlled manner. The kneeling cable crunches is my favorite exercises to better isolate the abs. Just squeeze and try to make every single repetition as intense as possible. Believe me, when you get familiar with the exercises, you will feel the burn.

Below is a short video of me doing highreps on these exercises. What is your favorite ab exercise? Leave a comment and I'll try it myself :-)

My Idols...

During the years I have seen many impressing athletes perform, and some of them I continue to admire even to this day. Others I have discovered in recent years. Either way they provide me with motivation to keep working or they amaze me with how far you can push yourselves. Here are some of them:

Joe Eigo is a gymnast and stuntman who has developed his own style of street gymastics. He has worked as a stuntman for Jackie Chan in several movies. I just love the way he moves and experiment with movements. Watch this youtube video and try the same:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dde8aMKtImk


Hannibal is another streetathlete who does more fitness and bodybuildingstyle movements. His moves is simply amazing and he in my opinion has an fantastic physic. Watch and learn:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfsTKfUT-RQ

Yuri van Gelder ia a dutch gymnast and a ring expert. He does his ring gymnastics in an incredibly strong and controlled manner. And his muscularity is great considering he never lift weights. Cool!! Watch some shirtless interview here and you'll get the point:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_LN0xPaiyE

Markus Ruhl is a german bodybuilder who is known for his extreme freaky physic. He might not be the best looking bodybuilder, but I like the true bodybuilders to look freaky. And Markus looks like ha has been made in clay, by a group of teenagers who has just read to many comic books. Ha is known for a huge number of fans when ha appears on stage. Watch and enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyhzyakD378

Usain Bolt is the fastest man ever. And he wins by such margins it will go down in history as some of the best performances ever. He surely lives up to his nickname "The Lightning Bolt". Watch and learn:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u18_-87Pb6U

Naim Suleymanoglu was the first person to clean and jerk three times his own bodyweight. I just try to imagine doing 1,5 times my own weight. Naim was nicknamed "Pocket Hercules" and won three olympic gold medals over a period of 12 years. Here his final lift from Atlanta Olympics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8cNX0c3YqQ

Just keep training! You WILL get there!

Back 2 the basics with military presses

I love shoulder workouts. It's not too hard and you get that awesome sensation of muscles growing right there and then. You should always include military presses. They're a great exercise for general mass and strength. Cause of a rotator cuff injury, I use a narrow grip. And I do my military presses after 4 sets of Arnold press. To keep the intensity I like including cheats at the end. At first I do as many reps possibly in a controlled, non-explosiv manner, then throws in 2 cheats. Why stop when you have enough strength to keep working, just not enough to lift strict? The body is just not designed to isolate movements. Thats not the way biomechanics work. Anyway, I also did some lateral raises with dumbells and cables and a drop set in the hammer. Here is a short video:

My New Year's Resolutions

Well, I kinda have to have some... Here they go:

1) Squat 440 pounds
2) Deadlift 550 pounds
3) Start running with Vibram Five Fingers on a regular basis
4) Start with ab training
5) Take my vitamins on a daily basis

What's your New Years Resolutions?

Doing some squats and jump squats yesterday

According to researchers in New Zealand, doing some jump squats after 3 sets of heavy squats can increase your testosterone level for some time. Well, I like having increased testosterone, and jump squats is an important exercise in plyoathletic training. So here we go. 3 sets of heavy squatting 300, 320 and 350 pounds followed by some 200 pounds jumps. Finished of with supersets of leg ext and leg curls. Here is a video:

About the author

The founder and author of PLYOATHLETICS.COM is a well known norwegian strength training coach by the name of Ståle Selnes Bjørkestøl. He grew up in the small town of Kristiansand, on the south coast of Norway, where he at early age found an interest in training and physical development. He performed numerous sports with good results, but never really had the hunger for victories and triumphs that make true champions. Ståle's goal was to gain the knowledge on how to make champions and gold medalists, not to become one himself.

He spent some time in the US, becoming familiar with the true American sports and principals of training, and studied sports at the Norwegian School of Sports Science and the University of Agder. In his first year at the university sport studies ha amazed his teachers by having the fastest 40 yards sprint of the entire student body of 75 athletes, while also having the highest VO2max of the same group. His VO2max of 84, and 100 meter sprint of 12 seconds was a rare combination for a student at that time. The answer to this can be found in the plyoathletic way of training which Ståle had been doing for some time.


Ståle now works as a Personal Trainer in the best gym in Norway. At a daily basis he trains and inspires people to gain muscles, lose weight, perform at their best, reshape their bodies and become true champions in their own lifes. He also teaches at the Norwegian School of Sports Science, and is a popular speaker at Fitness conventions and seminars in Norway.

During the years Ståle has performed sports such as athletics, gymnastics, rock climbing, soccer, cycling and long distance running. His days as a top athlete are past him, but now, at the age of 31, and the bodyweight of 200 pounds, he can still run a 10k in less the 40 minutes, deadlift 500 pounds, complete 30 chins, and do a perfect standing forward somersault. All thanks to the plyoathletic ways of training.

Read more about his progress during 11 years of training here:
http://plyoathletics.blogspot.com/2011/01/11-years-of-progress-with-plyoathletic.html

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