Abdominal Training. Super. Abs Resource Manual. Len Kravitz, Ph. D. INTRODUCTIONAlthough you are regularly bombarded with exercises claiming to tone and strengthen the abdominal muscles, many of these exercises are inadequate and ineffective. Some exercises may actually lead to lower back pain, and do little to strengthen the abdominals.
The purpose of this manual is to provide accurate, useful information and exercise guidelines for abdominal training. In addition, several myths and misconceptions about abdominal training will be dispelled. ANATOMICAL AND KINESIOLOGICAL REVIEWBefore proceeding, a brief anatomical and kinesiological overview of the abdominal muscles is necessary. The mid- section muscles consist of the rectus abdominis and the internal and external obliques.
The rectus abdominis is a long, flat band of muscle fibers extending vertically between the pubis and the cartilages of the fifth, sixth, and seventh ribs on the front part of your trunk. Its right and left halves are separated in the middle by a strong tendinou sheath known as the linea alba (which means white line). There are three horizontal tendinous creases that give the muscle that “washboard” appearance on some individuals. The muscle is enclosed in a sheath formed by the aponeurosis (broad, flat, and thin connective tissues) of the other abdominal muscles. The rectus abdominis flexes the spinal column, bringing the rib cage and/or the pelvis toward each other, and assists in sideward bending.
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The rectus abdominis is also actively involved in stabilizing the trunk when the head is raised in a supine (lying on back) position (Luttgens & Wells, 1. The external oblique muscles are the outermost fibers of the trunk, and are located on each side of the rectus abdominis. Their upper and lateral attachments are to the lower eight ribs by tendinous insertions that interdigitate (interlock like the fingers of folded hands) with the serratus anterior muscle on the side of the rib cage.
The lower and middle attachments of the external obliques are to the anterior crest of the pelvis (iliac crest) and the aponeurosis of the linea alba from the ribs to the crest of the pubis. The external oblique muscle actually becomes the inguinal ligament #(Hay & Reid, 1. The fibers of this muscle run diagonally, forming a “V” shape, similar to putting your hands into your coat pocket. Beneath the external oblique muscles, running at approximately right angles to them, are the internal oblique muscles which form an inverted “V” shape. Their upper and medial attachments are to the cartilages of the lower three ribs and the aponeurosis of the linea alba.
Their lower and lateral attachments are to the inguinal ligament, the crest of the pelvis, and the fascia (connective tissue) of the lower back (erector spinae). At the lower end the internal oblique muscle fibers run almost horizontally. Both the external and internal oblique muscles are involved in flexing the rib cage and the pelvic bones together, sideward bending (lateral flexing) of the trunk, and rotating the trunk. The external obliques are referred to as “opposite side” rotators. Due to the muscle fiber arrangement, when you rotate to the left, the external oblique fibers on your right side facilitate the movement. Conversely, if you rotate to your right, the left external oblique fibers help with the movement.
On the other hand, the internal oblique muscles are “same side” rotators. Thus, if you rotate to the left, the left internal oblique muscles facilitate the movement. When you rotate to the right, the right internal oblique muscles help cause the motion. Due to the fact that the lower fibers of the internal oblique muscles run horizontally, they also are strong trunk rotators (Luttgens & Wells, 1. Although most people think of the oblique muscles as being only frontal muscles, it is important to note that their fan- like fibers extend all the way around the sides to the lower back in much the same way a corset fits a person. The deepest layer of abdominal muscles, the transversus abdominis, is not involved in movements of the trunk (Rasch & Burke, 1.
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Instead, this respiratory muscle plays an important function in forceful expiration of air from the lungs; as well as compression of the internal organs. The ‘villains’ of abdominal training are the hip flexors, which bring the legs and trunk toward each other.
Muscles that flex the hip include the psoas major, illiacus, rectus femoris, pectineus and sartorius. Full sit- ups involve the hip flexors, which may cause the lower back to arch and unwanted back pain, particularly in individuals with relatively weak abdominals (Mutoh, Mori, Nakamura, & Miyashita, 1. Leg- raising exercises in a supine position challenge the hip flexors with limited involvement of the abdominals (Libetz & Gutin, 1. Frequently, there is a muscle imbalance between the weaker abdominals and the stronger hip flexors in trunk flexing movements (Kendall & Mc. Creary, 1. 99. 3). The goal of abdominal training is to maximize the involvement of the abdominals, while minimizing the involvement of the hip flexors (Walters & Partridge, 1. DISPELLING SOME WIDELY BELIEVED MYTHSCan you effectively work the abdominals in a standing position?
Standing static contractions (contracting without movement) of the abdominal muscles are helpful (and recommended) in developing good spinal posture, especially in learning how to tilt your pelvis backward (posterior pelvic tilt). Many individuals stand with their hips tilted forward (anterior pelvic tilt) due to tight or excessively shortened hip flexors.
This position may exaggerate the arch in the lower back (Plowman, 1. Glisan & Hochsculer, 1.
Also, gravity and the weight of your torso make standing abdominal work significantly less effective than supine abdominal exercises. What about the standing side- to- side exercise?
Many people think that side- to- side (lateral flexion) bending is a good exercise to shape the sides of the torso. This is not true because deeper spinal muscles can perform this exercise much more efficiently than the abdominal muscles. In fact, the quadratus lumborum muscle, which attaches from the crest of ilium to the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae and to the lowest rib, is actually a pure lateral flexor muscle.
Anatomically, the quadratus lumborum is positioned so that it is more active than the external obliques during side bending (Rasch & Burke, 1. The soreness that many people associate with a firming of the oblique muscles is actually a result of overstretching these muscles and doing the movements too fast. It should be noted that slow, controlled, alternating lateral flexion of the trunk is an effective exercise for increasing lateral range of motion for the spine. Are standing rotation exercises just as ineffective? Yes, those movements are performed without resistance and oftentimes with great speed.
This may create undesirable rotational stress and wear and tear on the spinal vertebrae. However, many health clubs now have new equipment which offer resistance to trunk rotation and flexion in the upright and supine positions. Individuals choosing to use this equipment should have a qualified trainer check their exercise technique because it’s easy to perform some of these exercises incorrectly.
Can you work the upper and lower abdominals independently? When performing some abdominal exercises, it often feels like the muscle is divided into an upper and lower section. Although the abdominal muscles have intersegmental nerve stimulation, you are not able to contract one section independent of the other. However, when you stabilize the hips and only lift the trunk, there is relatively more muscle shortening in the upper abdominal region which leads to greater muscle involvement in that region (Walters & Partridge, 1. In addition, the internal obliques are more involved in this torso lifting action (Kendall, Mc.
Creay, & Provance, 1. Conversely, when you perform reverse crunches (lifting the pelvis off the floor), there is more shortening in the lower region, challenging the lower abs relatively more than the upper abs as well as more involvement of the external obliques (Kendall, Mc. Creay, & Provance, 1. If you do many abdominal exercises, will you lose additional body fat in the abdominal region? In a landmark study by researchers at the University of Massachusetts, it was conclusively shown that sit- up exercise training does not decrease the diameter of abdominal adipose cells, abdominal subcutaneous fat (skinfold thickness) or abdominal circumference (Katch et al., 1. Therefore, you cannot use ab exercises to selectively lose abdominal fat. Instead, to reduce fat content at a given body site, your total body fat will have to be altered.
Are the abdominal muscles active during normal walking? It may be surprising, but electromyographic (EMG) analysis of the abdominal muscles has demonstrated that the abdominal muscles are quite inactive during walking on a flat surface (Sheffield & Major, 1. EMG analysis is the scientific method of measuring the muscle’s electrical activity and contractility during movement, very similar to the way an electrocardiogram (ECG) measures heart rhythm. The rectus abdominis and external oblique muscles exhibit little electrical activity in an erect posture unless the trunk is inclined backward or laterally and/or resistance is applied to the torso (Walters & Partridge, 1. The internal obliques, on the other hand, are in a state of tension while sitting, standing and walking, to help stabilize the pelvis (Floyd & Silver, 1.
Walters & Partridge, 1. Do you work the abdominals when performing those hanging leg lifts from a chin- up bar? Although the hip flexors are the prime movers in bringing the legs up toward the chest in this movement, the abdominals are statically (no movement) contracting in this exercise.
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