Fab Abs (Part 1)
 

Hate your gut? Your butt? Your thighs? And it's beach time!

Television commercials, magazines and Internet sites make it sound as though you can whip your least favourite body part into shape with the right equipment or exercise regimen i.e. "spot reduce" – but this is a myth!

If you really want to shape up your abs, gluts or other specific problem area, you’ll need to take a whole-body approach as discussed in the "Awesome arms" introduction. To remind you, this means:

  • eating sensibly (low fat, balanced diet)
  • doing regular cardiovascular workouts and
  • strength-training ALL parts of your body

Follow this straightforward plan, and you will see positive changes where you want them and elsewhere too!

Developing a taut, neat waistline and muscular abs is important, not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also for your health.

Excessive abdominal fat increases your risk for certain chronic diseases of lifestyle, so make sure to keep your waistline:

  • below 88cm if you are a woman
  • below 102cm if you are a man.

Furthermore, strong abdominal muscles act as stabilizers for your back, thereby protecting you from lower-back pain. A full eighty percent of South Africans suffer from back problems some time in their lives, so care of one’s back is crucial!

If you look at the accompanying diagram, you will see that the "abdominals" actually include several muscle groups:

  • the rectus abdominis
  • the obliques
  • the transverse abdominis

Often ignored, but very important in promoting trunk strength and stability, are the erector spinae muscles. (These aren’t abdominal muscles themselves – but I will give you some exercise ideas for them).

Before I give you specific exercises for each of these muscle groups – I will briefly introduce them to you.

The Rectus Abdominis

Description: The rectus abdominis muscles are fondly referred to as the "six-pack"! They are the most superficial muscles of the core region. Function: They help to stabilise the pelvis (hips) when walking and flex and rotate the lumber (lower back) portion of the spine.

The Obliques

Description: The internal and external obliques lie at the sides of the core area. Function: When contracted on one side – they allow twisting at the waist and bending. When contracted on both sides simultaneously, they aid in flexing the entire vertebral column.

The Transverse Abdominis

Description: The transverse abdominis muscles contain the deepest fibres of the abdominal wall.

Function: They increase trunk stability and help to maintain proper posture and low-back stability.

The Erector Spinae

These important low-back muscles add to trunk strength and stability and help to maintain posture.

Specific exercises to work each of these muscle groups

The Rectus Abdominis

The crunch is still the best exercise to do for this muscle group. Just a few tips about crunches.

You can make abdominal crunches easier to tackle — or more intensely challenging — simply with the positioning of your hands.

Crunching with your hands at your sides or crossed on your chest makes the task less arduous.

But if you’re looking to maximize your effort, place your hands near the back of your neck, on the sides. IMPORTANT: Don’t clasp your hands behind your neck completely; this can lead to injury.

By Kathleen Mc Quaide