Whether it’s a sign of health, beauty, virility, or movie star status, a flat stomach is something that many people all over the world crave. This is because a flat stomach is so hard to get, it can indicate full-body power or virility, and it is essential to powerful performance.

This article is Part 2 of 7 of the new "Getting A Better Body" series that I'm writing for the upcoming launch of Tri-Ripped, which you can read more about by clicking here (which will also give you access to the

Compared to their running and cycling brethren, triathletes certainly tend to have slightly more muscular shoulders. But when you actually look at a triathlon junkie from the side view, you’ll see a rather unsightly phenomenon: a hunched back, slouched shoulders, and ugly curvature in the upper spine.

By now, most folks have heard of the term "periodization", which is the scientific term for splitting a triathlon training year into periods and focusing on a specific performance or fitness goal for each specific period.

If you reflect on your year of triathlon training and competition, you will probably agree that you put in a ton of volume and intensity. Your body is thanking you for taking a few months off before you break it down again. This brings up a great opportunity to understand the importance of how to handle your offseason.

One common imbalance among triathletes is a weak butt - a result of a combination of a "sitting" profession that keeps the butt muscles turned off all day long, followed by running, cycling and swimming with those inactivated butt muscles. As a result, triathletes experience overuse injuries of the joints below the butt, along with reduced power and strength, and subpar performance.

All three disciplines of triathlon require core stabilization and strength. Strong core musculature allows you as an athlete to keep your body streamline in the water, maintain a comfortable bike position and complete an efficient run. Core strength will also assist with generating, absorbing and stabilizing forces which occur during your bike and run.

If you've read any triathlon magazines lately, or visited triathlon websites like http://www.rockstartriathlete.com, you're most likely familiar with triathlete core training and the concepts behind triathlete core training, which basically involves functional multi-sport training for the abdominal, low back, and pelvic muscles.

When you think of getting strong for the sport of triathlon, what do you think of? Hill repeats? Swim intervals? Track workouts? Yes, these are all forms of strength work for triathlon specific strength and these protocols can increase your performance but what I am talking about today are movements that do not include swimming, biking or running.

Sir Mix-A-Lot said it best in his 1992 hit song, Baby Got Back, “You can do side bends or sit-ups, but please don’t lose that butt!” Interestingly, most females are trying to shrink their beloved behinds. Well, I have good news for you, please don’t bother to shrink it. A strong and balanced backside equals faster running, stronger running, and less risk for injury!