Rapidly expanding waistlines often inspire the most sedentary people to begin a fitness program, but despite the number of belly-blasting exercise gadgets in the fitness marketplace, only some abdominal workouts are truly effective. The Aerobic and Fitness Association of America has three criteria for judging the benefits of a specific workout. It must be safe, efficient and effective. Understanding how your abdominal muscles work will help you make the best exercise choices.
Misconceptions
Many people refer to abdominal workouts as "stomach exercise." This is a misnomer. Your stomach is an organ that digests food. It's the abdominal muscles, which support your stomach, that function during the workout. Spot reduction is another abdominal exercise myth. You can only spot reduce by burning calories through aerobic exercise and modifying dietary intake.
Function
Each abdominal muscle has a specific function. The rectus abdominus, used in sit-ups and crunches, flexes the spine. The internal obliques, which form an "X" across the abdominal area, rotate your upper torso, and your external obliques, near your waistline, are responsible for lateral or side-bending of the torso. When fitness instructors speak about core muscles, they are referring to the transverse abdominal muscle. This deep muscle is responsible for voluntary abdominal contraction. During exhalation, it compresses the diaphragm to expel the air. The most complete abdominal exercise programs work all of these muscle groups.
Expert Insight
The American Council on Exercise is a fitness research and certification organization. The organization's May 2001 issue of "Fitness Matters" featured a groundbreaking abdominal exercise study. Dr. Peter Francis and his research team tested 30 subjects, who performed 13 common abdominal exercises. Some used abdominal exercise gadgets, and others relied on body weight. The research team used muscle-testing equipment at the University of San Diego Biomechanics Lab to determine which abdominal muscles were active in each exercise. The bicycle maneuver, the captain's chair and the crunch scored the highest for oblique and rectus abdominus activity.
Benefits
The bicycle maneuver is a non-equipment exercise, performed in a supine position. The legs are lifted from the floor, with one leg bent and the other leg extended. The upper torso rotates toward the bent knee. This exercise works the internal obliques. Captain's chairs are upright abdominal exercisers, usually found at fitness centers. The upper body is stabilized by holding two hand bars and pressing the back into the chair pad, and the knees are bent and lifted toward the chest. The captain's chair's upright position makes it particularly effective, because it trains you to engage your abdominal muscles while standing. This may have a positive effect on posture. The stability ball crunch takes the traditional crunch one step further. The ball provides a balance challenge, which requires you to engage your deep core muscles for stabilization.
Optimal Frequency
Abdominal training frequency is a much-debated topic among fitness experts. Mark David, who authored "The Beginner's Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding" sheds light on the subject. David, in an article on the Critical Bench website, explains that the daily abdominal workout concept developed because people rarely worked their abs, unlike other muscle groups, to fatigue. He advises people to perform three weekly abdominal exercise sessions, using three to five exercises per workout. Use slow, controlled form on each phase of the movement. Add variety and avoid burnout by performing different exercises in each workout. Exhaling forcefully during the flexion or rotation stage of an abdominal exercise will engage the transverse abdominal muscle and create a deeper contraction.
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