The 'While Coffee Brews' Exercise Plan

Exercise #3 and #4 – Abdominal Crunches and Oblique Crunches

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Drawing and guidelines by Marty Coleman, whose butt is in pretty good shape due to these.

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The ‘While Coffee Brews’ Workout – Exercise #5

by Marty Coleman | Dec 9, 2013 | The 'While Coffee Brews' Exercise Plan | 0 comments

I drank a whole pot of coffee drawing #5 in the exercise series.

while the coffee brews workout #5

Knowing vs Doing

Another simple exercise that we all know is Jumping Jacks. But knowing it and doing it are two different things. Knowing anything is of little value if you don’t put it into practice.

Jump Start

Practicing jumping jacks is a great way to get joints loose, blood flowing and heart rate up just a bit. Sort of cardio jump start. Make sure you keep your arms fully extended and bring them all the way to the top. Stretch those arms up. Doing jumping jacks half-hearted is not worth doing so do them right or skip it. Unlike the exercises I have shown so far, women probably want to have at least a sports bra on for this one. Some men might as well.

Stretch Start

Number 2 is illustrating something that really helps me, Mr. Unlimber. It’s not Jumping Jacks, it’s Laying Down Jacks. Spread your legs as far as they will go (maybe use some barrier, like a table leg, to keep your legs open, that is what I have to do) while you also spread your arms out and up at about a 45 degree angle. Make sure the backs of your hands are touching the ground and your arms are as flat as they can be. It may not seem like much to do, but hold it for 30-60 seconds and you will really start to feel the stretch in your pectorals and your inner groin muscles.

This is a great stretch to help runners keep from getting to tight and wound up in those areas. We often think about our legs getting tight in a run but long distance runners have a lot of problems with shoulders, chests, and arms starting to hurt and cramp as well. It’s important to keep the upper torso limber as well as the leg muscles.

Exercise #3 and #4 – Abdominal Crunches and Oblique Crunches

Exercise #5 – Jumping and Laying Down Jacks

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Drawing and instruction by Marty Coleman

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The ‘While The Coffee Brews’ Workout – Exercises #3 and #4

by Marty Coleman | Dec 4, 2013 | The 'While Coffee Brews' Exercise Plan

My Morning Routine

I have gotten into the habit of having rice cakes for first breakfast. I toast 2 of them, then put on a bit of jelly and peanut or almond butter. They are crunchier when you toast them but you have to watch out, some of them have a glaze on them that will start to smoke in the toaster oven. I then take them into my office and eat them while I start my day. Speaking of office, we recently had a slew of visitors to our humble abode for Thanksgiving weekend. My office was used as a bedroom so I thought I would try out moving my napkin drawing studio into the dining room so I could draw early in the morning while our guests were still asleep. It worked out pretty well so I think I might keep it like that for a while.

Exercises #3 and #4 – Abdominal Crunches and Oblique Crunches

coffee workout 3 and 4

Exercise #4 – Oblique Crunches

In the sequence, #4 actually comes twice, once on the left side once on the right, so I do one side first, then do #3, then do the other side of #4.

In the original photo I saw on how to do oblique crunches the guy was laying on the large flat side of his glute, a 1/4 of the way towards being on his back, and raising his torso up to get the crunch as in version #1. The legs stayed on the ground. But when I started doing them I laid directly on my side and found my legs came off the ground as did my torso. I like the #2 version better because it seemed to work the lower oblique region as much as the high region. But I notice that #1 tends to work the lower side back more than #2 so I do both on and off.

One of the coolest things about doing these is where the lower arm (on the floor) ends up going. It is folded in front of you with your hand actually on your obliques. What that means is you can feel the muscles working, contracting and releasing, as you do the exercise. Over the months I have started to feel all the definition throughout the oblique and ab areas. It’s very cool.

Exercise #3 – Abdominal Crunches

These are pretty straightforward. They are the beginning of a sit up, but you don’t go above about 25 – 30 degrees from the floor, then you go back down. That is enough to get the abs working. The drawing is a bit off actually because you really shouldn’t be bending your head forward at the angle I have it. Keep it as straight as you can.

Do 10 to start and repeat each time you come around to it in your circuit.

Finish up by doing the oblique crunches on the other side and you are done.

To Repeat or Not Repeat

As usual, you can do these two ways, one is a set amount done in a circuit with the other exercise. Most of the time a circuit of 3-4 is good. Or you can do each exercise to the fail point, with no repeats. It’s sort of like the two different versions of Solitaire you can play, once around drawing every card and you are done, win or not, or every 3 cards until you can’t do anything more or you win.

Either way, you’ll get a good work out.

Benefits

Obviously your abdominal muscle and the oblique abdominals are the main beneficiary. Did you know that the ab muscles are actually just one big sheet muscle? The ‘six packs’ aren’t different muscles, they are parts of same muscle that just happen to build up. Each of us has a different landscape when it comes to our one big ab muscles. The oblique are separate however.

By the way the pink bumps on her tummy are not her intestines popping out don’t worry, they are her six pack of abs (of which you can only see 3)

Speaking of…If you are hoping to have that six-pack by just doing exercises, it’s not going to happen. Well, it can happen, but it will be under a layer of fat and you won’t be able to see it. To see your abs you really will have to change eating habits so you not only lose fat but build your muscle as well.

That’s It

And that’s it. These 4 exercises should take you about 10-15 minutes, max. That’s about the length of time a pot of coffee takes to brew. It’s not sophisticated or complicated or hard to figure out. It’s easy and it’s doable today, right now. Start somewhere, and repeat. That’s the key. You can do it.

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Exercise #3 and #4 – Abdominal Crunches and Oblique Crunches

The ‘While Coffee Brews’ Workout – Exercise #2

by Marty Coleman | Dec 3, 2013 | The 'While Coffee Brews' Exercise Plan | 0 comments

My Morning Routine

When I first started doing this morning routine it was just stretching and warming up for the day. I still stretch and warm up before I do the exercises because I am an old and creaky guy. You should limber up too, even if you aren’t old and creaky. The run groups I coach always start with an active warm up time to get the blood flowing, the heart beat up just a bit and the joints and muscles lubricated and ready to work. It’s alway a time to just be quiet and meditate for a few moments before you start exercising.

Exercise #2 – Push Ups

coffeeworkout2_sm

Version #1

This is the version you need to do. Even if you can do only one pushup this way, you need to do it this way. It’s where you want to get to so why not work at it from the very beginning. If you can’t do 5 pushups this way, do at least one, then do the other 4 in the version #2 method. A full push up goes all the way until your nose touches the ground.

Version #2

Forget the sexist crap about this being the version for women. It isn’t. It’s the version for those who aren’t yet strong enough to do version #1. That’s it. It has nothing to do with whether you have a penis or vagina. Nothing. Here is the truth, male or female – if you can’t do one pushup in the version #1 method, then start with version #2. If you can do 5 of version #2 then next time you do the exercise start with #1 and try to do one of that. Keep trying #1 each and every time you do pushups. Do not settle for version #2, it’s only for those who can’t do #1 and everyone can do #1 if they work at it.

To Repeat or Not Repeat

Once again you can do these as part of a circuit of exercises that you repeat 3 or more times, or you can do them once to the fail point. Both have their benefits and you should try both types of regimens during the week.

Benefits

Obviously the arms and chest are the prime beneficiary of pushups. In the arms it’s the entire shoulder and the triceps (back of the arms) that get the bulk of the workout. The pectorals of the chest are being built as well.

Remember, to lose weight you have to burn calories. To burn calories you have to have metabolically active tissue, and that’s muscle, not fat. If you build muscle you get a better metabolism and that means better calorie burning.

When To Start

Duh, now. Don’t wait until you have the right workout clothes or the right mat or the right headband. Do it first, then get all those things as you have time.

Exercise #3 and #4 – Abdominal Crunches and Oblique Crunches

Exercise #2 – Push Ups

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Drawing and workout description by Marty Coleman

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The ‘While Coffee Brews’ Workout – Exercise #1

by Marty Coleman | Dec 2, 2013 | Fitness & Health, The 'While Coffee Brews' Exercise Plan | 0 comments

My Morning Routine

I typically get up around 5:30am and have about an hour to myself before Linda calls me in to cuddle before she gets out of bed. My usual routine was to let the dogs out, make coffee and go into my office/studio immediately. In April I decided to add some early morning stretching and calisthenics into that routine. Instead of going directly into my studio while the coffee brewed I went into the living room and stretched. I am not a limber guy by any means and stretching is something I really need to do for my running. While I was doing the stretching I started to add some light calisthenics. I timed the exercises to about the same time it took the coffee to brew. Over the course of the months I have worked out a very brief workout routine that is easy to do with no need for equipment or extra space. If you have a space on the floor as big as your body, you have room.

Exercise #1 – Glute Kickbacks

exercise routine

Version #1

Version #1 starts with your leg bent with the knee on the ground. You kick the leg back to be slightly above horizontal and return it. You aren’t kicking hard, just putting it out there until it’s straight. And yes, I know the drawing makes it look like the person is farting. She might be, farting is allowed!

Version #2

In version #2 you put your leg straight out back and have your big toe touching the ground. You then lift your leg up past horizontal and return it to the ground (or close, you don’t need to touch the ground and break your toe!) I usually do this version, I just like it better. And yes, the drawing sort of looks like she is peeing. That is not allowed, it will ruin the carpet.

To Repeat or Not Repeat

You can do the reps two ways. One way is to pick a number, 10 to start is good, and do them, one leg at a time (as opposed to alternating legs like you are riding a bike). You will do those, go on to the next exercises and then return to these after you have done the circuit. When I do it this way I do the circuit 3 times.

The other way is non-repeating. This way is one time only. You don’t pick a number, you just do it until you can’t do them. You do it to ‘fail’. I do this way when I have less time to do the entire workout. You aren’t going to come back to these at the end of your circuit of exercises. You will be done after one circuit.

Benefits

The benefits of this exercise are in your glutes (that’s your butt just in case you weren’t sure) and your hamstrings (the muscles on the back of your thighs).

When to Start

DO NOT wait until January 1st. That is an arbitrary date, it means nothing. If you start this (or any) exercise regimen now, and start in on making some simple diet changes, you can lose 5 lbs by the start of 2014. Why wait? I will talk more about all of this as this series continues. In the meanwhile, today is the day.

If you have questions or suggestions, feel free to add them in the comments, I would love to hear them.

Exercise #3 and #4 – Abdominal Crunches and Oblique Crunches