Dancing Your Way to 6-Pack Abs
 When MTV first aired in the '80s it changed our vision of what a dancer looked like. What had been the domain of the ballerina or, perhaps, a well-tailored Fred Astaire floating nimbly around a ballroom was more or less instantly transformed to the world of Madonna, i.e., scantily clad, chiseled bodies that moved with power and athleticism. And, all of a sudden, the word "dancer" became synonymous with "hardbody."
Back when we were still in the depths of the crunch craze, this depiction probably sold more Ab Lounges, Ab Rollers, and other types of crunch-based workouts than any advertisement. Unfortunately, it failed to transform us into a nation of hardbodies because crunching left out a rather large piece of the proverbial pie. It left out the dancing.
"I've never had to do a crunch or a sit-up," says hip hop dancer Shaun T, who's performed on stage with Mariah Carey and created with Beachbody his own fitness program, Hip Hop Abs ™. "Dancing, especially hip hop, is very powerful. You work your arms, your legs, and your core is engaged the entire time."
Let's take a look at how dancing has changed and ways that it can help you get a stage-worthy body.
THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!
 Dancers have always been fit. It's just the society hasn't always had the desire to work that angle. We never saw Fred Astaire with his shirt off because, most likely, MGM didn't want us thinking he might be able to take on the action heroes of the day. Back then, guys like Clark Gable or Bogie were far more apt to show up in ads for Benson & Hedges than 24 Hour Fitness. Tough guys didn't have to be fit.
Gene Kelly was the first to make a true attempt to change the public persona of the male dancer. He rolled up his sleeves, beat people up, and acted more like Jackie Chan than a ballroom king. To match his athleticism, the women he danced with were allowed more and more freedom. And once we got a look at Ann Miller's legs, there was no turning back. Dancers' bodies were hot and audiences wanted to see more of 'em. Enter MTV.
DANCING VS. SPORTS SCIENCE
Dancers looked the way they did because they danced all day, but sports trainers (and exercise marketers) began to look for something to get the same body in less time. As usual, there was some trial and error associated with the research, leading to a lot of public misconception. The main one being that those MTV-inspired 6-packs were a function of how strong one's stomach muscles were.
Unfortunately, the ripped midsection is directly linked to the individual's body fat percentage, not how strong their core muscles are. This means that you could do ab exercises until the cows (and everything else) came home and you'd never look like Madonna. But that didn't stop the major industry of ab gimmicks from flooding the market.
THE CRUNCH YEARS
 In spite of this, isolation training, or training individual muscle groups, was all the rage for a couple of decades. Probably spurred on by Arnold in the iconic bodybuilding movie, Pumping Iron, people were creating exercises to isolate one muscle at a time and blasting it into submission. As these exercises trickled away from Muscle Beach and into the mainstream, the one that stuck more than any other was the crunch.
The crunch is a great isolation movement. Plus, it's relatively easy and you can work your abdominal muscles to a state of rigor mortis within minutes. And, actually, it worked pretty well for bodybuilders. After all, they aren't movement-based athletes. And, since they spent so much time in the gym, isolating the abs wasn't so bad because they isolated every muscle group. By skipping that last tidbit, this spawned an entire industry of quick-fix workout gimmicks promising that you, too, could look like Arnold or Madonna. But instead of dedicating your entire life to exercise, these promised similar results in a few minutes of ab isolation.
THE RISE OF FUNCTIONAL TRAINING
 Functional training is basically exercising using movements that you'll encounter in everyday life. Ya know, like dancing. So, essentially, it has always been around. But functional training as a workout grew out of physical therapy, which makes sense as more and more people were landing in PT units because they'd been injured due to isolation training. What they found was that isolation training was creating muscular imbalances. This is, essentially, where one muscle group becomes stronger than it's supposed to be compared to others. When this happens it's easy to get injured.
Functional training focuses on your core: the middle of your body where virtually all movement begins. A strong core creates a base to work from. If this base is solid, your chances of getting injuries decrease greatly. Your core is not just your abs, but all the muscles that connect to your spine and pelvis. It's essentially all of the prime mover and stabilizer muscles that you use to stay standing. For this reason, core exercises often include balance movements. These include using gadgets like stability balls, boards that wobble, golf balls, soft balls, and foam rollers, but it also includes simple old-school movements like push-ups, squats, and yoga stances—which are all similar to the various forms of movements you get when you dance. All of these movements require body awareness (balance) to keep you from falling over, which is, again, like dancing.
DANCE TO THE MUSIC
 While functional training was slow, calculated, and difficult to sell to the masses, dancing was a different issue. For one, you didn't have to sell it. People dance because it's fun and, thus, will do it anywhere they can. When the video workout movement came about in the '80s, dance workouts became commonplace, which made a lot of sense since they were easy to sell if people thought that they could dance into great shape. The problem is that they weren't targeted. Fun, yes. Somewhat effective, yes. But it wasn't creating Madonna clones.
The problem was creating realistic workouts. Dancers work on specific movements over and over—similar to a way that you do when you would try to work on a jump shot or increase your bench press. The early dance workouts mainly just got you to move. There was no real emphasis on the true training aspect.
The next wave of dance-related workouts was hybrid, combining dance with another discipline to create a more effective workout, such as Turbo Jam. Its creator, Chalene Johnson, saw dancing as a catalyst for creating effective workouts. "You'd see these women at weddings who would dance for hours on end," she said. "It wouldn't even cross their minds that they were getting a 'workout.'" From there she used dancing as a base to work from and, bingo, had a targeted workout that felt like an activity you'd do for fun.
HIP HOP: THE RIPPED GENERATION
 All forms of dance will make you fit but when hip hop arrived on the scene the rules changed. As a new art form, the performers could shape it any way they wanted. Athleticism and aesthetics were at its foundation as artists attempted to one-up each other in both how they looked and performed. It became, essentially, like a bodybuilding competition for dancing.
"I've done all types of dancing from jazz, to modern, to musical theater," says Shaun T. "But nothing comes close to the athleticism of hip hop. After I quit running track in college, I began to have problems with my weight, so I began dancing. Hip hop became my first love because it was so fitness oriented. Because it comes from so many different areas of dance it's, by far, the most fitness-oriented form of dance."
Core function is vital for all movement in sports, including dance—but especially hip hop dance. Though the arms and legs are what you mainly notice in traditional western dancing, conditioning the foundation is still paramount. But non-western dancing tends to begin at the core. Belly dancing and hula are probably the two most famous, but the majority of dances coming from more equatorial regions largely focus on mastery of the core area.
 Hip hop dance is a fusion, a blend of athletic modern dance moves and traditional non-western dancing that features that core area. Because all the movements stem from the core, it's probably the most functionally directed activity you can do for reshaping your midsection. This is why it's rare when you see a hip hop artist who doesn't show off his or her abs.
Today, you've got a lot of choices for dance-related exercise programs. All of them will help you dance better, most of them will help you get fit. But if you want to look like Beyoncé, consider hip hop.
 If you'd like to ask a question or comment on this newsletter article, just email us at mailbag@milliondollarbody.com.
Check out our Fitness Advisor's responses to your comments in Steve Edwards' Mailbag on the Message Boards. And if you'd like to know more about Steve's views on fitness, nutrition, and outdoor sports, read his blog, The Straight Dope.
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Meet the January Winners!
So how did they do it? Our winners' bodies went through such fabulous transformations, even we had trouble believing it. So we're incredibly proud to introduce our January champions, the first to qualify for the annual grand prize of $250,000! And tune in each week to see their stories on video.
Aaron M., Longview, WA
$10,000 Success Story of the Month!
Age category: 30-39
Though he was athletic in school, years of junk food and soda had taken their toll on this father of two. In the spring of 2004, he maxed out at 297 pounds. That's when he and his wife found Power 90®. Soon they were hooked. After two rounds of Power 90 and P90X®, Aaron dropped to 190 pounds! He still wasn't satisfied, though, and kept working hard. He's since put on 45 pounds, but most of it is muscle, and boy, does it show! Now even his kids join in his workouts. And he's so excited about his results and his prize, he's decided to become an MDB™ Coach so he can help other people succeed!
Julie C., Columbus, GA
$10,000 Success Story of the Month!
Age category: 40-49
Where there's a will there's a way. At least that's what Julie says, and she should know—she lost 110 pounds and transformed her whole life! She started doing Power 90 because she was angry at her weight and how she looked. She also changed her diet, started doing cleanses and meditation. These lifestyle changes are permanent. But she realized that's not a bad thing—the more she worked out, the easier it got, the longer she stuck to her diet, the better the food tasted! Now she's training for a triathlon!
Carmen R., Spring Hill, FL—$1,000 winner!
Age category: 18-29
"When the ride is this much fun, who wants to get off?" asks this mother of three. She gained 85 pounds during her pregnancies, and soon realized she could barely keep up with her little ones. She started with Power 90, then moved on to the Master Series, and Turbo Jam®. Now, just over a year later, she's lost 91 pounds!
Michelle M., Lincoln, NE—$1,000 winner!
Age category: 30-39
Michelle used to dread going to see her doctor twice a year, because each time her doctor would weigh her. So before the last time she went, she decided she wanted the scale to go down, not up. She started Turbo Jam, and managed to lose 5 pounds before the appointment. And since then, she's lost another 45 pounds and can't wait for her next doctor's visit!
Keith W., Smyrna, GA—$1,000 winner!
Age category: 18-29
What a year Keith has had! Not only has he lost 20 pounds since starting on Power 90, but he's also gotten engaged, married, and passed the bar exam! When he took a desk job in December 2005, he worried that some extra padding would come with the new job. He was right. But our community was there to help him stick to his exercise regimen and Michi's ladder. Soon the pounds were melting away, and he felt great!
Perry T., Fort Atkinson, WI—$1,000 winner!
Age category: 40-49
Through triumph and tragedy, Perry kept faithful to keeping up his health and fitness. Since 2003, he's lost 33 pounds and 15 percent body fat! Sadly, he lost more than that—in December, 2003, his wife, and workout partner, was killed in an auto accident. But he did not let that slow him down. Instead, he became even more determined. And when he was diagnosed with a degenerative disc disease in his spine, that determination really paid off. He used everything he'd learned on the videos and Message Boards to get himself back in shape, and is now able to do P90X. That's Bringing It!
Tony B., Huntington Station, NY—$1,000 winner!
Age category: 50+
After his 2001 heart attack, Tony began to fear that he would not be there to watch his young daughter grow up. As he recovered, he immediately dedicated himself to improving his physical fitness and health. But though he went to the gym and ate a fairly healthy diet, his weight continued to increase. Once he got Power 90, however, everything changed! He's now lost over 50 pounds, and has become a personal trainer and MDB Coach so he can help other people achieve the same results.
Do you have a story to share about your personal transformation? You could be our next monthly winner! If you're a Club member, just upload your photos, stats, and transformation story, then enter the contest by clicking the "Submit my Success Story" button on your profile page. Not a member? Join now!
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Trim Your Waist in Just 6 Days
 It may be February, but that's no excuse to let your resolutions slide. We all struggle with keeping our focus and commitment to our New Year's resolutions. That's because keeping up with commitments that improve our lives and improve our bodies are the hardest to keep. It's just something about how our mind works that makes these commitments anything but a breeze!
But I've got a tip if exercise and flat, sexy abs are anywhere in your New Year's resolution list. If you've fallen off the workout wagon, I'm extending a hand to pull you back on the wagon where you know you want to be. Keep it fresh by not doing the same workout every day.
 I happen to have something you've never tried just in time to get you focused on your abs with my brand-new Hip Hop Abs program. And that's not all . . . if you're up for a challenge, and want to lose up to 3 inches off your waist, I'm starting a 6-Day SlimDown in my Message
Boards forum on February 19th, so come with me for six short days and see if you can't kick your results into high gear and transform your abs in no time at all. Hope to see you there!
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