The abdominal muscle group comprises four bunches of muscles. They include the external and internal obliques, the transverse abdominus and the rectus abdominus. "Maxim" magazine explains that your abdominal muscles are like a sheet that stretches from the bottom of your ribcage to the top of your pelvic bone.
Working your abdominal muscles is an integral part of an exercise routine. There are many techniques to make your ab workout effective and efficient.
Proper Form
The stomach crunch is one of the most popular abdominal muscle exercises. To perform a stomach crunch, lay on the floor, bend your knees, put your hands behind your head and reach your chin toward your stomach. However, the website Best Ab Workouts cautions against looking at your knees as you rise up from the laying position. Instead, the website suggests pointing your chin toward the ceiling.
Another tip to remember while performing stomach crunches is to use your hands to support your head and neck, but not to pull your head and neck.
Quality not Quantity
"Maxim" reminds people working their abs to concentrate on doing movements properly. It's not about how many crunches or sit-ups you do, it's about doing the exercises correctly. Do slow and deliberate movements. Focus on the tension in your abs. Don't move quickly, otherwise you may not achieve the full benefit of the exercise.
Strategic Timing
"Fitness" magazine recommends positioning your ab workout between the cardio portion of your routine and the strength training portion of your routine. This will help shift your mindset from a faster cardio workout to more concentrated strength training.
Pace yourself, also. If you find that your ab workout wears you out and you don't have the strength for cardio, cut back on your ab exercises. On the other hand, if you find your cardio routine makes you too tired to work your abs, cut a few minutes out of your cardio workout. A balanced workout is important. The longer you work out, the better your endurance will become, and you'll soon have the strength to accomplish all of your goals.
Know When to Stop
Best Ab Workouts recommends taking a break if you feel pressure in your neck when doing stomach crunches. If this happens, stop to let your shoulder and neck muscles relax. Instead of working your abs, you may be straining your upper body.
The same tip applies to exercises that work your lower abs. The website Lower Ab Workouts advises stopping any exercise if you feel pain in your lower back. This could be a sign that your lower abdominal muscles aren't strong enough for the exercise or you aren't doing it the right way.
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