THE ROUTINES

If you are beginning conditioning for the first time, start at Level A. If you've worked your abs before, but your previous training has not included correctly-executed Hanging Leg Raises, start at Level 1. To get the benefit of the higher levels of the program, it is essential to perform Hanging Leg Raises correctly. Don't shortchange yourself! Even if you're an experienced bodybuilder, you'll get better results if you build from the ground up.

When to move up. Strive to get as much out of each level as possible. There's no advantage to jumping up levels before you need to-you'll just be working harder for the same results. Although you must overload a muscle to get results, overloading too much too fast just wastes energy and increases the risk of injury.

Move to a new level when the one you're on becomes easy and you're no longer getting results. Unless both of these conditions exist, stay where you are. To help you decide when it's time to move up, take the appropriate test in the Self-Evaluation Section, coming soon.

Speed Key

The markings s, m, f, indicate relative speeds. In practice, a fast pace for one exercise may be different from a fast pace for another. Treat the rep / second guidelines given below as averages. Don't feel you need to match them exactly-just go for what feels like a fast, medium, or slow pace relative to the particular exercise.

Note: The relative speeds of exercises in these routines have been carefully balanced to maximize the effectiveness of the program. For best results, perform each exercise at the speed listed. (f) = fast (about 2 reps per second) / (m) = medium (about 1 rep per second) / (8) = slow (about 1 rep per 2 seconds)