When I was in New York promoting one of my books I went to take a class called pilates. I had been reading about it in magazines and I was curious to see what all the hype was about. I went in, got my mat and sat next to a snooty lady who would not even say a cordial hello. Oh well, I thought, maybe she has had a bad morning.

There I sat on my borrowed mat from the studio smiling joyously waiting for the life altering "Core" based training class. The instructor came in dressed in a sexy see through one piece leotard. I thought wow, she looks fantastic.

She gracefully walked over to me and smugly asked, "Is this your first class in THIS studio?"

"Yes", I enthusiastically blurted out.

She said, without moving one muscle on her face, "tie your hair back so I can see your posture when we do the exercises."

I knew from that moment forward, I was in for it.

The class started and I was thinking the whole time, "I just want a flat midsection, I don't want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro." The class was interesting but I came to find out that instructor had been dancing her entire life. She had that body before she ever did one pilates exercise.

Now, I like pilates and I believe a "strong core" is important, but my big question for the fitness world is; what was before core?

Just because we learn something new does not mean we abandon everything that came before it.

When I was training for aerobic competitions my abs were ripped, I was strong in my center and my upper and lower back were strong and flexible. I had not even heard of pilates, but I was kicking butt in the competitions and at the beach! My abs were flat, tight and toned.

So what was before core? Before anyone ever heard of "core" there were dancer's workouts. These dancer's workouts were and still are fantastic muscle shaping abdominal exercises and specific postural alignment exercises that helps you get a flat tight midsection. Think about it.. have you ever see a dancer with a big overhanging beer belly? NO, they have the flattest firmest abs that rival any other competitive sports athlete, and remain supple and flexible in all their movements.

This is exactly why I created Ab Lab, the science of a firm flat sexy midsection. My goal was to teach the principles I had learned from my dance background to sculpt a great body yet be functionally strong. In this video I incorporate a variety of exercises from different fields of movement including dance and strength training so that you can sculpt, define and detail you flat firm midsection. You don't need a bodybuilders "six pack" abs, to have a tight flat midsection that looks awesome in a two piece!

Another thing I like to do for my midsection is taking Herbal Baths. When I was getting ready for body build shows and competitions, we had little a secret for tightening our skin and losing the excess water and trapped salts that hide in our skin and can blur muscle definition or worse... show up as cellulite.

We would fill a bath tub with hot water, as hot as we could sit in without burning our ladies' private parts. Then we would put two cups of a special ground spice in the water and get in and soak for one hour. (I'm purposefully not telling you which one because I DON'T want you to try it!)

That was then, but now we actually have the perfect blend of herbs to soak in that is safe, effective and yields even better results when done regularly. This process can be done as body wraps as well, but I find it easier and more convenient to soak in the tub with candles, a great book or music with calming sounds of nature playing during my bath. (see the side bar on the left for more information on how I use Herbal Baths)

Here is a one of my secrets to help you start getting your very own flat sexy midsection.

Body Alignment Tip:
Breathing and Hollowing is a technique I teach that focuses on "shaping" your abdominal wall. If you don't breathe correctly at the right time and hollow your abdominal wall, you can develop a muscular pooch in the lower region of your abdominal muscles instead of the flat hollowed out midsection we are shooting for. AHHHHHHHHH! Don't let that happen to you!

Let me say it again... your stomach can actually continue to stick out even when doing crunches! Abdominal exercises performed incorrectly can make your stomach stick out even more than it did before you start your program. It's more than a matter of simply lying on the floor and crunching. Or jumping on that ab machine and going to town.

NO, You have to train your muscles in the way that you want them to look. My Maximum Abs DVD goes into detail on the precise movement for hollowing and concaving to give you the flattest midsection possible all the time, not just when you suck it in!

Here's what you do:

Lay on your back on the floor with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Arms at your side.

Inhale through your nose to the count 4.

As you exhale breathe out through your mouth to the count of 4 completely and empty your diaphragm until your abdominal wall collapses into the pelvic floor and it goes flat or hollow.

Think about trying to make your belly button touch your spine as you exhale and pull your abdominal wall towards your back.

As you practice you will become able to control the hollowness of your abs. As you do you will automatically be developing a flat midsection.

Once you master this technique, apply it when using your favorite abdominal crunch exercises. Before beginning the crunch, perform your breathing exercise, then, with your midsection flat and hollow, begin your crunch. Timing your breathing is the next step, so in the beginning just try and perform one crunch per breath, and flatten your midsection every time. Over time you will train your midsection to remain flat, firm and sexy all the time!

Enjoy the rest of the newsletter and make it the Best Week Ever!


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Tom Venuto Wants To
Send You To Maui!

A couple weeks ago I sent you a heads-up about the upcoming Burn the Fat Body Transformation challenge contest.

Contest details have now been posted and the challenge begins in just 3 days!

The winners (best body transformation in 98 days) win a trip to a luxurious 5 star resort on the sunny beaches of Maui (with my compliments).

Get all the details (including prize info) here:

http://tinyurl.com/2dftevx

Tom Venuto

PS This is going to be a life-changing 98 days!
Want to go Maui - in the best shape of your life? Get the details here:

http://tinyurl.com/2dftevx

Victoria,
I read the first two weeks of your newsletter - I already cleaned out all the the junk food a while ago ,and I go to a gym where I do cardio, eurodance, pilatis and cross training. But I m not moving to week three, until I think of something I need to do and work on it this week. I think your advice is absolutely beautiful- you aim at body and mind in sensitve, caring way. Thank you so much for this chock full of wonderful ideas. Hope to write you next week with my accomplishment,
~ Rifka

Copyright 2009, Victoria Johnson Int'l. All rights reserved.