Abs of the Month January

Name: Sandra

Height: 5ft 3"

Off-Season Weight: 128 pounds

Competitive Weight: 116 pounds

SANDRA'S TRAINING REGIMEN

I have been competing in NPC figure

shows for over a year now so I try to

stay relatively lean during the

off-season. During the off-season, I

concentrate primarily on heavy weight

training, coupled with spinning for my

cardio training. I try to keep my repetitions

low - 8-12 reps and I try to lift mostly

with free weights. Each year I aim at

adding a little more muscle mass. The

more muscle your body produces, the less

body fat you will store and utilize.

My workout regimen consists of a six-day workout week. Five of these daily workouts include weight training for 45 minutes. My main source of cardio is spinning. I typically change the body part routines around monthly so my body does not get use to the same training routine week by week. It is good to shock your body and add some diversity to the workouts.

Typical example of a weekly workout would be:

Day 1: - quads, calves, abs
cardio - spin 45 minutes

Day 2: Biceps, triceps, abs
cardio - step mill 30-45 minutes

Day 3: Shrds, chest
cardio - spin 45 minutes

Day 4: take off

Day 5: Hamstrings, glutes
cardio: treadmill or step mill 45 minutes

Day 6: back, abs

Day 7: abs, cardio - 45 minutes

Diet

In addition to a challenging workout, I try to eat as clean as possible by avoiding all processed foods. My daily diet consists of 30 grams of protein every 2.5 hrs. These come primarily from chicken breasts, turkey breasts, egg whites, fish and whey protein. I also incorporate 25 grams of complex carbohydrates with each meal such as oats, yams, rice cakes and brown rice. I eat tons of vegetables, some fruit such as apples, pears and strawberries and take in some healthy fats as snacks such as no salt all natural peanut butter, and all natural nuts.

I do limit my dairy consumption, refined sugars, and foods high in sodium. They just do not agree with my body type. I allow myself a cheat meal once a week as a reward for eating healthy all week.

AB Training

I train abs 3-4 times a week. I usually do this at the end of my workout before I begin my cardio session and after I have hit the weights. I try to do ab exercises using my own body weight and some that require using weights. The slower the movement, the more you will feel the exercise.

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