The most intense -- and effective -- core workouts require a stomach for punishment and a taste for the unorthodox. Four NFL standouts reveal essential drills

DeAngelo Hall
TEAM: Atlanta Falcons
POSITION: Cornerback
HEIGHT: 5'10"
WEIGHT: 197

The winner of the NFL's fastest-man competition pays $12,000 a year to build his core at Athletes Performance in Tempe, Ariz. He says the investment has made him the player he is today -- and thus made him rich. "I came here out of college, and then I signed for a $13 million bonus," says Hall, 22. "My next contract I'll get maybe a $25 million bonus. I'll take that turnaround." Here's a sample of Hall's "movement" regimen.     -- Bill Syken

Resistance Band Walk

Drill: With feet shoulder-width apart, and bands taut across the thighs and ankles, Hall walks 10 yards forward, 10 yards back. Twice. Purpose: The bands force Hall to use his hips and glutes to move. Employing the glutes instead of relying mostly on the quadriceps -- the muscle most people naturally favor -- adds power and reduces injury risk.

Shawne Merriman
TEAM: San Diego Chargers
POSITION: Linebacker
HEIGHT: 6'4"
WEIGHT: 272

At the urging of his uncle Henry (Sugar Poo) Buchanan, a super middleweight boxer (14-0, 11 KOs), Merriman, last season's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, began a boxing-oriented regimen. He calls the workouts "the best conditioning you can do," and his trainer, Thai boxing champ Melchor Menor, says, "Shawne never slacks." Beyond punch-throwing, Merriman, 22, does some unusual core-building exercises.     -- Lisa Altobelli

Crunches

Drill: Standard crunch, but with the 160-pound Menor standing on Merriman's lower abdominals. Merriman does 50. He also does 30 as Menor pounds his belly with his fists. Purpose: As opposed to a typical crunch, this isolates the lower abs -- the pressure forces Merriman to focus on that region and also to breathe deeply and steadily.

T.J. Duckett
TEAM: Atlanta Falcons
POSITION: Running Back
HEIGHT: 6 feet
WEIGHT: 254

The four-hour training sessions that Duckett endures six days a week each July in San Diego (home of his trainer, Doug Hix) typically lead to one thing. "I almost always throw up," Duckett, 25, says. "Throwing up means you're pushing your body to the limit." Duckett's regimen -- which includes an hour of running, leaping and cutting on a beach to take advantage of its unstable surface -- forces him, he says, to engage his core to maintain balance -- L.A.

Physioball Push-ups

Drill: Assume push-up stance atop two physioballs, hands on the outside of the top half of the ball. A spotter can help stabilize the rear ball, but should not hold the ball unless it rolls. Two sets of 50. Purpose: Exercises the entire core, which must work to keep balls from rolling. Helps train upper and lower body to stay aligned when hit.

Jerry Porter
TEAM: Oakland Raiders
POSITION: Wide Receiver
HEIGHT: 6'2"
WEIGHT: 220

His trainer, martial arts expert Ed Downs, invented the Downs Disc, an inflatable cushion. Downs believes that "balance is key to core training" and has Porter do Drill:s on the disc to make him engage core muscles for stability. "I have more strength in my abs after working with him," says Porter. "I tell people they can hit me as hard as they can in my stomach. It's solid." -- L.A.

Figure Eight

Drill: Sitting on the disc (or a standard balance board or exercise ball) with knees bent and feet shoulder-width apart, grip a 25-pound weight and lean back 45 degrees (until abs are taut). Begin with weight next to right hip. Bring it to right shoulder, then across body to left hip, then to left shoulder (a figure-eight motion). Repeat cycle 25 times. Two sets. Purpose: Works entire core, but especially the obliques and lower abs. The twisting motion simulates moves Porter makes to elude defenders.

Photographs by Robert Beck

Issue date: August 28, 2006

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