Muscle Group of the Week: Abdominals

The abdominal muscles are the most frequently asked about muscle group when training. Why? Probably because they typically become the biggest sign of fitness. When you have tone abs you have what is called a 6-pack or even better an 8-pack.

The abdominal muscles support the trunk, allow movement and hold organs in place by regulating internal abdominal pressure. The deep abdominal muscles, together with muscles in the back, make up your 'core' muscles and help keep your body stable and balanced, and protects your spine.

Your abdominal muscles are a set of strong bands of muscles lining the walls of your abdomen (trunk of your body). They’re located toward the front of your body, between your ribs and your pelvis.

There are five main muscles in the abdomen:

• External obliques.

• Internal obliques.

• Pyramidalis.

• Rectus abdominis.

• Transversus abdominis.

Your abdominal muscles have several important jobs:

• Help with essential bodily functions, including urinating, defecating, coughing, sneezing, and vomiting. They help also increase intra-abdominal pressure facilitating childbirth.

• Hold your internal organs in place and protect them (including your stomach, intestines, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder).

• Maintain consistent internal pressure in the abdomen.

• Maintain posture and provide core support.

• Support your spine and body during sitting, standing, bending over, twisting, exercising, and singing.

Did you know your core is helpful for providing posture support and balance? Two core elements of strength training.

Your core is one of the most important muscles to develop no matter your age and fitness level for this very reason.

When training clients ages 15-90 I encourage core exercises. Actually, I encourage you to try to do 100 core area exercises daily. Because the core is essential for balance and posture stability it is necessary and important to train these muscles.

Note: the abdominals are only part of your core.

Here are some core exercises to incorporate into your training!

Let’s say you sit at a desk all day, or drive a vehicle for work. I have an exciting tip for you try to engage your abdominals daily. Engage in good posture and hold your stomach in like you are putting on a tight pair of jeans. Practice this move several times a day. Set a timer and strive to hold for 30 seconds or longer.

This will drastically help with our posture imbalances and balance.

Core conditioning improves posture, which contributes to a trimmer appearance. Moreover, developing core muscle strength can boost the effectiveness of workouts and reduce the risk of injuries that sideline our efforts to stay in shape.

Getting at the core

If you've ever had physical therapy to treat low back pain, you're probably familiar with the concept of strengthening the core — the muscles in the abdomen, lower back, and pelvis that lie roughly between the rib cage and the hips. The strength and coordination of these muscles are important not only for sports and fitness routines but also for daily life — for example, reaching up to a shelf, lifting a child, or sponging a spot off the floor.

Well-coordinated core muscle use stabilizes the spine and helps create a firm base of support for virtually all movement. The role of the core is also central to the Pilates method, a series of exercises developed during World War I to help rehabilitate soldiers returning from the war. Its founder, Joseph Pilates, referred to the core as the "powerhouse."

The “core” is a term used to describe just about everything on your body that isn’t your legs and arms. This means you can think of your glutes, hips, abdominal muscles, inner abdominal muscles, pelvic floor, and scapula as your core.

As I stated earlier, your core is where your power is generated in order to carry out any movement. While abdominal and inner abdominal muscles do play a large role in core stability, they don’t make up the core all by themselves.

A mistake many people make is to think of their core as only being their abs, and because of this, they go about training their core in many ineffective ways.

Traditional ab exercises like crunches and sit-ups are often used in hopes of achieving a stronger core and more defined abdominals, but this is a terrible method. Not only does performing endless crunches and sit-ups not strengthen your core or give you more defined abs, but it can also be hazardous to your spine.

Furthermore, crunches don’t work your abs in the way these muscles were designed to perform. The main function of the abdominals is to support the spine and prevent it from spinning all the way around, breaking over backward, or flexing to the side.

The crunching movement is a secondary function and one that’s not meant to be done at a high volume due to the stress it puts on the discs of your spine.

In order to train the core effectively, we need to train all the muscles involved, starting slowly and building a foundation. These muscles need to work together as a team.

Think of developing your core stability as pouring the concrete base for your home. This base provides structure and safety. It also cannot be rushed or overlooked. You wouldn’t build a home on the soggy ground because your house would sink or fall apart. The same can be said for your body when it comes to developing your core.

How are you going to work your core?