Dreams of fab abs meet with hard reality

Six-pack abs have been a lifelong dream of mine. And I’d probably have them too if it weren’t for the fat cells stuffed between my stomach muscles and my skin.

Finally, however, I decided to push my midsection as never before -- that is, from the outside-in with exercise, not from the inside-out with food. With impending beach weather as a motivator, I signed up for the “Washboard Abs” class at Crunch Fitness in West Hollywood and a Pilates class at the Absolutely Pilates studio near Hancock Park.

Both classes target the abdominal area, but both also wisely incorporate lower back exercises to maintain a balance between the muscles surrounding the torso, a key to preventing or mitigating lower-back problems.

I quickly found that doing 30 minutes on an elliptical trainer four to five times a week does little to fortify one’s abdominal muscles. The classes were much more difficult than I had expected.

The first bump came when I learned at “Washboard Abs” that what I was calling a stomach everyone else was calling a “core.” The core includes the muscles in the stomach, pelvis and lower back. The goal is to develop “core stability,” which increases ease and efficiency of movement and helps prevent injury. The class began with a few minutes of stomach crunches, and I soon realized my “core” was in for a meltdown. I’d done crunches before, but not so many in a row or at such a sustained pace.

The burning sensation reminded me of the dreaded “6 inches” torture inflicted by my Little League coach. That routine required me and my teammates to lie on our backs, holding our legs half a foot off the ground and keeping the position for a full minute or two. I still remember the screams.

The Crunch crowd of about 20 wasn’t screaming -- far from it. They were hungry for more than just mere crunches. And without question, the class delivered. The arsenal of stomach- -- I mean, core- -- tightening exercises would have had the carnival guy who takes a cannonball to the midsection crying uncle.

Each one isolated a particular area of the core and worked it to the point of fatigue, or well past it in my case. Among the dozen or so contortions was one in which we held a volleyball-sized rubber sphere between our knees, which we then lifted off the ground as we raised our heads toward our bellies.

I had to take regular breaks during the exercises because -- contrary to the ad slogan -- I couldn’t just do it. I wasn’t alone. Others sneaked in quick breaks as well.

At roughly the 20-minute mark, the assault on our cores was mercifully halted. We ended the class with a relatively easy 10-minute routine that focused on our lower backs.

Compared with the “Washboard Abs” class, which seemed to paint a red bull’s-eye on the stomach, the much-longer Pilates class offered a more easygoing approach to strengthening the core. Instead of bass-pounding house music so loud the Crunch instructor had to wear a headset with a microphone to be heard, Ana Caban’s light and airy studio featured the soft, lilting instrumental tunes fashionable at day spas.

Caban, an instructor with a popular series of Pilates videos, was leading a midmorning mat class of five. As a beginner, I was guided through the less strenuous positions. For instance, although advanced students were supposed to keep their legs fully extended while on their backs, I was allowed to bend my knees in toward my chest, thus lightening the load.

Pilates, at my novice level, wasn’t a cardiovascular challenge, though I did break out in a mild sweat. The emphasis was on control, breathing and exercising the stomach muscles properly.

In all Pilates classes, the core is usually referred to as the “powerhouse.” Each Pilates exercise is designed to work abdominal, lower back and gluteal muscles with the aim of boosting strength and flexibility. But the stomach area is the crossroads of all exercises in Pilates.

Caban quickly and clearly explained the wide variety of exercises as we did them. One minute we were on our backs with our legs at a 45-degree angle from the floor, curling our heads and shoulders off the mat toward our bellies. The next, we were rolling up like a ball, balanced only on our glutes, then rocking slowly back until our heads and shoulders hit the mat. From there -- while maintaining good form -- we returned to the ball position, balancing only on our glutes again.

True to the Pilates philosophy, every exercise passed through my “powerhouse”; it wasn’t painful so much as strenuous. But because of the size of the class, Caban was able to modify my exercises to keep it simple and allow me to work out without stopping.

After both classes, my stomach (I mean my core, powerhouse, whatever) was sore for about three days. Each body movement -- from walking to getting in and out of a car -- produced some mild discomfort and underscored how often the midsection is called upon for motion. Although stomach exercises haven’t been part of my usual workouts, I want to begin incorporating elements of both classes into a new regimen.

Of course, unless I’m ready to radically modify my diet -- and equally ready to begin doing either of these routines at least three times a week -- washboard abs are likely to remain a dream.

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About the classes: The “Washboard Abs” class is available to all Crunch Fitness members and to nonmembers with a one-day guest pass for $24. A class at Absolutely Pilates costs $15.