Phenomenal Abdominals

   Some years ago I was supplementing my  Fitness Training income by working for a landscaping company. I drove around to different sites in Edmonton and then unloaded 50 pound bags of some type of dirt by pouring the contents into a wheelbarrow. This went on for about a month in October. The rush was on to get work done before the fierce northern winter shut us down. I was showering one night when I noticed something pleasantly shocking in a floor length mirror. It looked as though a plough had run over my midsection. I was ripped in the middle! My once doughy breadbasket had turned to stone!   Gadzooks  -  I had abs!
   Usually I can summon up a vague resemblance to a six pack by tightening up my stomach and squeezing like I' m constipated. In this case I didn't have to tighten or flex. The six muscular ridges just magically appeared when my shirt came off. This hadn't happened since my peak amateur wrestling days.
   Abdominal muscles are the holy grail of exercising for aesthetics. They are the first thing that attracts the human eye to a fit human organism. They are also the body part that that can be the most complex and difficult to train. I have listed some important considerations of training the abdomen otherwise known as the midsection:

1. The abdominals also combine with the lower back and hips to form the core of the body. 
2. In just about any sports movement the power comes from the core.
3. There are actually 4 muscle groups composing the abdomen -The Rectus Abdominus (the front 6-pack), the Transverse Abdominis, The External Oblique, and the Internal Oblique.
4. Athletes are more concerned about core stability and strength than the actual physical appearance. 
5. However exercise movements focusing on core muscles usually develop shapely ab muscles as well.  

   There has been a historical progression of midsection training since exercise and fitness became fashionable.

• The staple of ab exercises used to be the sit up with the feet hooked to an immovable object. 
• Sit ups utilize the hip flexor muscles to contract the spine thus lessening the abdominal contraction. 
• Overly developed hip flexors can cause a forward pelvic tilt posture when standing up.
• Forward pelvic tilt can lead to a postural condition known as 'sway back' in which the abdomen protrudes making even skinny people seem like they have a gut.
• Sit ups evolved into crunches with the feet not hooked to an immovable object.
• Legs lifts with bent knees became vogue to also work the lower abs.
• Exercise scientists theorized that abdominal training should follow the 'All or None' rule in which the abs contract as a whole unit - not by isolating the lower and upper abs. This is also more likely to incorporate all 4 of the abdominal muscle groups.
• This led to the ab training slogan "Integrate - not Isolate!"
• Another similar slogan is  "Train Movements - Not Muscles". 
• Whole body movement such as athletes use became the trend to work the midsection. This may explain my results with the month of intense landscaping work. That also may be why  competitors of MMA, UFC, grapplers and wrestlers often have the most ripped abs. 
• Medicine Balls, Kettlebells, CrossFit, and Olympic Style Weightlifting  utilize the principle of whole body movements. 
• Recent studies show that cycling motions from a supine position cause the greatest muscular stimulation of the abs. 
• Exercise balls and Bosu Balls are also widely used now for Ab work. Fitness Trainers such as Greg Harvey from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada have had outstanding success with clients using exercise balls as training tools.

   An important point to remember - no matter how well developed the abdominal muscles are, they will not be visible if covered with a layer of fat. Some  heavyweight Olympic Weightlifters and Powerlifters have super strong core muscles but also have high adipose layers in the midsection. Therefore you don't see the six-pack look on them. Cardiovascular training or high intensive training can help reduce overall body fat.

   Also important - you can't spot reduce. Thousands of crunches won't burn belly fat. Body fat reduction requires a full body effort. 

This leads to the age-old important question, What is the best exercise for getting a six-pack looking midsection. The best answer that I can give is: There is none !
Each person is different. Their goals vary. There body structures vary. Some have flexible hips which favor certain movements. Those with tight hip flexors (like me) must experiment to duplicate the results that I got from the landscaping job. 

  Contrary to much media advertising, there is no magic pill (at least not a legal one),  food supplement, sweat girdle, vibrating belt, or electrical device that magically melts belly fat.
Invest the money that you would spend on such claims or buy a gym membership, a bike or some good running shoes.    

Ab training also requires safety considerations. The most important are:

• Protect the spine
• At one time it was believed that tightening the lower back while training abs (forward pelvic tilt) protected the spine and made for a better muscular contraction.
• Recent studies trend towards keeping a neutral or relaxed spine.
• Comfort should be your guide. You want to attain muscular fatigue but not cause actual pain especially in the back.

As always for you or your Fitness Training clients,
 common sense and safety are the priority. 

Phenomenal Abdominals  !!!
No that's not me and it's not Gerard Butler in '300'..
That is a freestyle wrestling legend in peak condition
 before the most recent Canadian Olympic Trials. 

 


Until next time,

Keep Fit


Little Bobby Strong

















Links
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