Read between ‘man-V’ lines

Best selling author Dan Brown may know the letter ‘V’ primarily as the archaic symbol for the female sex, however, he has yet to meet Timothy Kennedy. The senior boasts a feature found only on the fittest of men – the “man-V.” Rock-hard biceps, washboard abs and a camelback chest are all nice and dandy. But look out below: those chiseled, V-shaped indentations that outline a male’s midsection and suggestively lead elsewhere have girls swooning.

Chief among reasons why the ladies love the man-V is its suggestiveness. Freshman
psychology major Dionna Bittle says that the man-V is sexy to her because “it leads to something that is ‘forbidden.'”

Defining the feature has left both men and women speechless. Sometimes referred to as “the funnel,” among other names, the “man-V” is synonymous with sexy.

Hard to spot unless shirtless (or pant-less), the “man-V” is usually a token of frequent gym use. Such is the case with Kennedy, who was found working out in the weight room of the IBC. It took the keen eye of this reporter to discover his “man-V.””I never really thought about it,” Kennedy said.

His secret? Well, not even he knows the origins of his “man-V.”

“It’s just always been there,” Kennedy said, smiling. It is safe to assume many male readers have begun to lift their shirts to search for the whereabouts of their funnel. But before the realization and ensuing disappointment sets in, men should be made aware of something.

This is where it can get hairy – not every
man is as fortunate as Kennedy. In fact, Jennifer Habeeb, a senior social work major and a group fitness instructor at the IBC, said such abdominal definition on men demands an intensive workout regiment. She said unless a man works his lower abdominal region two to three times a week, chances are likely that he does not have it. The good news is that there are ways to achieve it.

Habeeb recommends working on lower abdominal muscles to achieve the “man-V.” She has never heard of any scientific terminology for the region, but said that it is a result of doing both abdominal and oblique enhancing exercises.

Common exercises include the basic sit-up, the crunch and the fluttering of one’s elevated legs only inches off the ground while in a recumbent position. Repeat.

Such workouts are included in Awesome
Abs, a group fitness class at the IBC that Habeeb teaches every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 3:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m., focusing on conditioning abdominal muscles and is beneficial to anyone trying to tone their inner “man-V.”

For students whose schedules conflict with class times, there are ways to release the inner “man-V” from the shackles of one’s outer belly in the convenience of one’s own dorm. Fifty at-home abdominal exercises can be accessed by logging on to www.sixpack.com, featuring pictures and additional descriptions of these home exercises, and if you look close enough, a possible “man-V.”

Jonea M. Price can be reached at joneamarie@temple.edu.