Formosa Fitness

I consider myself a functional fitness guy and since I'm doing kettlebells a lot, I guess that's a given. But the functional fitness community really likes to throw stuff under the train sometimes. Take this dumb idea that ab flexion isn't functional, for example.

First of all, one of the primary functions of the rectus abdominus is flexion, right or wrong? Let's just keep it simple with no hemming and hawing. The answer is right, so please explain to me how then ab flexion is somehow non-functional? How can a natural function of a muscle be non-functional?

Second, it's non-functional for who? Do you get out of bed every morning? How do you do it? I flex my abs, how about you? Pretty functional, huh? Do you play with your kids on the floor and need to get up? If so, how are you going to do that without ab flexion?

The rise of MMA and BJJ should also have made it abundantly clear by now that getting up off the floor from a lying position is a real need for those guys. They functionally need ab flexion.

One of the main arguments against ab flexion is that people hurt their backs and this is one of my pet peeves -- if something is hurting your back, then fix your back! Yes, a whole plethora (I love that word) of moves are bad for you if you have a bad back. The solution isn't to avoid them, but fix the problem -- your back.

When I started fixing my back problems, all sorts of exercise pains went away. And kettlebells are one of the best tools for fixing backs. Then ab flexion exercises all become accessable.

Honestly, ALL my favorite ab exercises are flexion-based. That doesn't mean I ignore anti-rotation or rotation (the latest functional under-the-train fatality), but I place an emphasis these days on flexion.

BTW, the old Health for Life Legendary Abs course is still one of the best you can get and it's all ab flexion. Get the outline here. Supplement it with some back training and some other core work, and you're good to go.