Ab Core Routine and Discussion
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London, England (PRWEB) December 7, 2004
The usual advice to “pull your abs in” during the crunch actually makes the exercise less effective, new research shows. Done correctly, the crunch is an effective exercise for those wanting to work their abs with minimum stress to the lower back.
But researchers from Omaha’s University of Nebraska Medical Center have found that “pulling the abs in” actually reduces rectus abdominis activity – known by fitness experts as the six-pack muscle.
When you lie down on your back and lift the shoulders from the floor, rectus abdominis is the muscle that’s doing most of the work. The six-pack look is the result of bands of connective tissue that “cut” into rectus abdominis.
In the study, a group of 25 subjects performed the crunch in accordance with different sets of instructions. The crunch worked rectus abdominis harder when subjects were told to tighten their stomach muscles, rather than pull them in. Here are the instructions they were given:
“Push your belly button out by tightening your stomach muscles. Try to shorten the distance between the bottom of the ribs and the groin area when you curl up. Focus on drawing your ribcage down and in while you curl up.”
Professor Stuart McGill, an expert in spine function and injury prevention at the University of Waterloo in Canada, says that one of the best ways to work your abs is to perform a technique called the abdominal brace.
This involves tightening the abdominal muscles as if you’re about to take a punch in the gut, says McGill. When the brace is performed correctly, the abdominals are neither hollowed in nor pushed out.
Curl up against the brace, and then breathe deeply in the “up” curl-up position while maintaining the brace. Remain in the up position long enough to take a few deep breaths. Fitness expert Christian Finn, owner and founder of thefactsaboutfitness.com, a fitness website that reveals the best ways to burn fat and build muscle, agrees.
Curling up against the brace is a great way to work your abs without stressing your lower back, says Finn. Try it the next time you train your abs. You’ll be surprised at how such a simple exercise can easily be made more challenging and effective.
Sources
Karst, G.M., & Willett, G.M. (2004). Effects of specific exercise instructions on abdominal muscle activity during trunk curl exercises. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 34, 4-12. Professor Stuart McGill, University of Waterloo, Canada. Christian Finn, M.S, http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com
For additional information, contact:
Christian Finn
The Facts About Fitness Ltd
Tel: 44 7941 337542
http://www.TheFactsAboutFitness.com/
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Once you have effectively set your weight loss regime, you must determine a set of exercises to strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles. This will provide them with the body and shape required to form a visible six pack. The following exercises are appropriate exercises to select from.
1) Long Arm Crunch: Lie on the floor, facing the ceiling and extend your arms over your head along the ground, grasping your hands together over your head. Tighten your abdominal muscles and lift your shoulder blades off the floor. Repeat this twelve to sixteen times.
2) Reverse Crunch: Life on the floor facing the ceiling. Hands may be placed flat on the floor beside you or behind the head. Raise your knees towards your chest until your legs are at a 90 degree angle with your body. Tighten your abdominal muscles to lift your hips off the floor. Lower your body and repeat this process twelve to sixteen times.
3) Vertical Crunch: Lie flat on the floor facing the ceiling with your legs extended upwards. Place your hands behind your head and tighten your abs to lift your shoulders off the ground. Raise your heels towards the ceiling to create a U shape with your body. Lower yourself and repeat the process twelve to sixteen times.
4) Bench Crunch: Lie flat on the floor, facing the ceiling with your legs elevated on a bench or another form of furniture and bent at a ninety degree angle. Hold your hands at your temples or extended down besides your legs. Now, raise your head and shoulders towards your knees whilst lifting your pelvis off the floor. Flew your abdominal muscles at the top of the movement and hold for a moment. Lay back down and repeat this twelve to sixteen times.
5) Leg Tuck: Sit sideways on a bench or some form of furniture, grasping the edge for support with your legs hinging over. Raise your legs slightly and straighten them. Hold this position for a moment then lower your legs. Repeat this process twelve to sixteen times.
6) Upright Sit Up: Stand upright with your back straight and hands clasped behind your head. Proceed to bend at the waist (performing the traditional sit up movement) and straighten up. Repeat this process twelve to sixteen times.
7) Scissor Cuts: Lie flat on the floor, facing the ceiling. Place your arms flat at your sides and lift your legs slightly, crossing one over the over. Hold this position, then lower your legs. Repeat this twelve to sixteen times.
Abdominal work outs should be performed twice a week. It is important to remember to alter your work out every eight weeks to ensure the muscles do not become used to the work out, thus rendering the exercises ineffective.
Before commencing with abdominal exercises, it is important to remember to stretch your abdominal muscles. Do this by lying face down on the floor with your elbows bent and hands positioned beneath your shoulders. Straighten your arms so that your back is arched, ensure your legs remain flat on the ground. Turn your head towards the ceiling and hold this position for a period of ten seconds before lowering yourself back to your starting position.
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There, you will find genuine testimonials from users about their experiences with certain diet programs. One particular program that appears in these testimonials is Truth About Abs by Mike Geary. This weight loss focuses on the development of shapely abs by combined exercise and healthy diet. A lot of people favor this weight loss program because of its ability to give anyone attractive looking abs faster than any weight loss program can do.
Based on truthaboutabs reviews scattered online, Mike Geary’s creation focus on general exercises rather than abdomen-specific ones. This would seem ironic to most but Mike Geary has a very clear explanation on his website. He explains that it is so much better to exercise the whole body than to focus on the abs alone. For people’s metabolism to work fast, it is necessary for the whole body to lose fats and gain more lean muscles. If your concentration is solely on your abdomen area, the other parts of the body will be ignored and your effort to lose fat on your tummy area will all be put to waste.
In his program are detailed instructions on how to perform these exercises and their various other benefits. Other than exercises, Geary also has diet programs that would compliment your exercise routines. This will help make the weight loss faster and more effective. You would see on various truth about abs reviews that Geary is quite the genius for developing this because everything you need to learn in order to have a developed body can be found in his program.
What makes Truth About Abs stand out even more is Geary’s ability to take care of his customers by providing quality customer service. After selling his product, he does not just abandon his customers. Instead, he takes care of them and continues to provide support until they finally gain the results that they like. This kind of customer care is very hard to find especially among diet programs but Mike Geary ensures that his customers are provided with only the best.
For More Information On
www.belly-fat-blog.com The key to seeing your abs and having a great body is much easier than you might think. The truth of the matter is we all have abs. They are there! If you don’t see them, it’s simply because they are hidden under a layer of fat. Lose excess body fat and you’ll see your abs. The question is, do you want to make them larger (think bodybuilder) or are you just trying to have a flatter more defined stomach. This video exposes two of the biggest myths about getting abs and losing weight. Unfortunately, the web is full of misleading hoopla when it comes to losing body fat, losing weight, getting in shape or getting abs. You’ll be amazed at what a little common sense can do in burning body fat. Eating right, eating at the right intervals and exercising properly (keyword there) can produce amazing results. Forget about doing mindless cardio for hours on end. There are better ways that provide amazing results and help take off weight in the thighs, butt, and abs area. You can do this!
The crowning achievement of anyone trying to get in shape and lose weight is a six pack stomach. It is the status symbol of choice in the world of health and fitness and nothing can help you obtain that look quite like a killer ab workout. But besides looking good there are other health benefits to having strong abdominal muscles.
They, along with your lower back and hips, make up your core muscle group. This group of muscles is responsible for stabilizing your body during just about any activity. If you have a weak core you are more prone to poor posture, lower back pain, and muscle injuries. There are a whole list of benefits to having a strong core which include a trim waist, stopping back pain, being able to enjoy physical activity at a higher level, and improving your sex life.
A killer ab workout takes the entire core into consideration, not just the abdominals. You need a balance between muscle groups to achieve the look you want without increasing your chance of injury and back pain. It is also important to remember that getting that six pack stomach is more then a function of muscle strength, it is also about how much body fat you have covering those muscles.
If that isn’t enough to start working those core muscles here are 7 reasons that having a strong midsection is so important.
1. A firm and flat stomach – You will no longer have to worry about sucking in your stomach every time you take off your shirt. You can also trim an inch or more off your waist size without actually losing any weight.
2. No more back pain – Weak abs creates an imbalance in the core muscle groups. This places more strain on your glutes and hamstrings which destabilizes your spine and creates back pain. Most back pain is a result of weak abs.
3. Stronger joints – Have a strong core stabilizes your body during physical activity taking unneeded pressure off your joints.
4. More power – You will have improved performance in everything you do. This is no where more apparent then activities which involve throwing or swinging. Want to ad more yardage to your golf swing; this is the way to do it.
5. Stop hernia’s – Weak abs are the primary cause of all hernias with well over five hundred thousand men have surgery for this every year.
6. Greater power and increased endurance – You will be able to run farther and faster and have more energy at the end of all your activities.
7. Increased sexual stamina – If the first six reasons aren’t enough to get your abs in shape then this one should. A six pack stomach is not only sexy but functionally sexy as well.
So remember, a killer ab workout is more then just sit-ups and crunches. It takes into account the entire body while focusing on the all important core muscle groups.
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