The abdomen is comprised of three major muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, and obliques. The textbook "Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology, Fifth Edition," describes the transverse abdominis as the muscle which runs laterally...
To develop taut and tight abdominal muscles, it is important to work out the entire midsection during two strength training sessions each week. Crunches and other exercises that utilize only one abdominal muscle at a time don't recruit the many...
Seeing your 2-week-old newborn bloated and feeling her hard abdomen can be scary. Usually, however, these symptoms result from stomach sensitivities that most babies outgrow naturally within the first several months of life. Consult your...
Training your abdominals is more than just knocking out repetitions. Knowing which exercises best serve your purposes and how to schedule them saves you effort that would otherwise be wasted. While exercise may be difficult, results come from...
If you are particularly pressed for time, doing 60 seconds of exercise is better than no exercise at all. You can work your abdominals easily enough in such a short amount of time, though just one minute of exercise will in all likelihood not...
Many men are afflicted with a pot belly that's not only large, but uncommonly hard. This hardness is due to an abundance of fat under the abdominal muscles, otherwise known as visceral fat. Men are particularly vulnerable to visceral abdominal...
The Bowflex is a versatile exercise machine that allows you to work nearly every muscle group in your body. The machine can be upgraded with a number of attachments to increase the amount of Bowflex exercises you can perform. Various strength bows...
You don't see fancy fad exercises for building the pectorals or lats, but there are plenty of gizmos for toning the abs. It seems like every week there's a new advertisement for a strange device that will flatten your stomach in just minutes a...
For many, cardiovascular exercising isn't enough to shave pounds from the midsection. Isolating the abdominal and oblique muscles through specific strength exercises is perhaps the best way to flatten your stomach. Not only will these exercises...
If you want to trim your waistline and get that six-pack you've always been after, you must incorporate exercises into your routine that target all areas of your core -- including the oblique muscles on your sides. To effectively burn a lot of...
Many people work hard to get a flatter stomach, but sometimes results fall short of expectations. This problem can be traced to a variety of factors. First, if you don't eat healthy and nutritious foods, a flat stomach is unlikely. Second,...
A slimmed-down, toned stomach might make you look great in a T-shirt or bikini, but it also helps you feel great too. Not only does it boost your self-esteem, but building a strong core also helps improve your balance and stability, improve your...
Most people think that the rectus abdominis or "six-pack muscle" is the most important ab muscle. While the rectus abdominis is essential for controlling major spinal movements, the deeper transverse abdominis, or TVA for short, is just as...
Do all the crunches you want, but chances are good you'll only see results in the upper part of your abdominal muscles. In fact, your lower abdominals are hard to target. Although it's natural to have a rounded -- not flat -- belly, it's also...
The lower abdominal muscles aren't more stubborn than the upper abdominal muscles, but they can seem that way sometimes. The actual problem is that they're more difficult to target. Traditional abdominal exercises like the crunch and the sit-up...
Not all abdominal exercises work the ab muscles with the same type of intensity. If you're just beginning ab exercises for the first time or are recovering from an injury, you should opt for exercises that are not especially strenuous and don't...
Handstands and pushups engage several muscles. A handstand engages primarily your shoulders and triceps, while a pushup emphasizes your pectorals, though the shoulders and triceps also play important roles during a pushup. Your abdominals are...
Love handles, or fat that accumulates on top of the oblique muscles around the midsection, are a common problem. For many, this particular area is one of the first to take on extra weight and one of the hardest to tone. With regular exercise,...
The many exercises possible on a Bowflex home gym enable you to perform a full-body workout tailored to your specific strength-training goals. While many Bowflex home gym exercises are designed for building mass, there are plenty of exercises that...
The oblique muscles, those on the side of your midsection, are often overlooked when working the abdominals. These muscles play an important role in helping sculpt a tapered midsection and are vital to developing a strong overall core, which helps...
Anyone who is familiar with late-night television infomercials has probably heard of the Ab Swing. The Ab Swing claims to work the entire abdominal region and to eliminate the need to get down on the floor to do crunches. The product claims that...
A hernia is a weakness or hole in the abdominal wall that develops due to pressure inside the abdomen. Hernias don't resolve themselves, so patients usually require surgery. Hernia repairs are relatively minor procedures, and in most cases...
For some women, attaining a stomach that is bikini-ready seems impossible. Childbirth, stress, menopause and unhealthy food choices can cause weight gain in the abdominal region. If you want rock-hard abs, you must eat a balanced low-fat diet, do...
When it comes to getting a six pack, building muscle is important. This is because of its metabolic activity. The more muscle you build, the higher your resting metabolism will be and the more calories you will burn. This will help uncover your...
Adhering to a low-calorie diet, increasing physical activity and following an abdominal strength routine will help women achieve a six-pack just like men. However, women going through menopause or any type of hormonal change are more likely to...
Burning fat from your midsection can be very difficult and frustrating. Many people feel that they are powerless to make a change. They slave away doing hundreds of crunches and starving themselves, yet they do not achieve the weight loss they...
Rock hard abs are aesthetically appealing and they can definitely boost your self confidence when strolling down the beach in the summer. Your goal to make this happen is to reduce the fat on your stomach and build up your abdominal muscles. These...
Constipation in little kids is usually temporary and caused by dietary changes or premature toilet training. In nearly all cases, home treatment can ease constipation and prevent a recurrence. Sometimes laxatives or other medical care is needed to...
About half of all pregnant women will struggle with constipation before giving birth, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Constipation while pregnant involves infrequent and difficult bowel movements, abdominal discomfort and hard...
Get rock hard abs with a bow legged hip-raise workout. Learn about abdominal exercises in this free fitness video.
Get six-pack abs by learning these weighted pullover crunches. Tone the stomach muscles and get rock-hard abs with these abdominal exercises from a professional fitness trainer in this video on health and fitness.
