ANOTHER THING THAT WATCHING WORLD-CLASS ATHLETES PERFORM DOES IS CONFUSE MEN AS TO HOW TO EXERCISE…FORGET THE STANDARD HEALTH CLUB CIRCUIT WORKOUTS….FOUR PACKS FOR OGGIES RECOMMENDS FREQUENT DAILY ISOMETRICS CONCENTRATING ON THE CORE MUSCLE GROUP CENTERED ON THE RECTUS ABDOMINIS MUSCLES…

BUT NEW WORKOUT REGIMENS THAT ARE “OUTSIDE THE HEALTHCLUB BOX” ARE APPEARING…THIS TIMESONLINE.COM IN THE U.K.:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4538649.ece

“Called functional exercise, the idea is that you work out doing things your body is designed to do, rather than sitting on a machine in a gym. It’s a back-to-basics approach using items that usually never come through the door of a modern healthclub: climbing ropes, large tyres, kettlebells, medicine balls, Olympic rings of the sort gymnasts dangle from, even sledgehammers. The aim is to make your body more efficient at natural activities such as pushing, pulling, running, jumping, balancing and throwing.

(This)…class is run by Spartan Fit of Brighton, one of a growing number of physical training companies to reject the high-tech gym approach. The class got its name because it uses similar training techniques to those that were used to prepare the actors for last year’s movie blockbuster 300 – a retelling of a battle between the Spartans and the Persians – for their roles as muscular ancient warriors.”

A SAMPLE OF THE WORKOUT:

“The class begins with kettlebell swinging. A kettlebell is like a cannon ball with a handle on it and has been a popular conditioning aid in Russia for years. It is a test of explosive power, balance, co-ordination and cardiovascular fitness. The technique is not too difficult to learn with an 8kg weight, but when Liszkaa gives me a 24kg weight I can feel my body having to work to flip the kettlebell up. After the kettlebells it’s on to a circuit of sandbag carrying, pulling tyres on ropes and tyre flipping (that’s flipping as in flipping exhausting). It nearly kills me, as does the wheelbarrow workout, in which your partner takes your legs and you walk on your hands for 50 yards. If you want core training, throw away the Pilates ball and try a few of these. After about 30 yards I’m chewing turf. The exhaustion is intense.”