Before And After An Ab Workout

While everyday activities can enhance your health and tone various muscle groups, normal activities often neglect the abdominal area. Specific abdominal workouts can help you isolate these core muscles and increase the strength and muscle mass in this area. Proper warm-ups and cool-downs prepare the muscles for exercise and help to guard against injury.

Abdominal Workout

Your abdominal muscles consist of three main groups of muscles. The rectus abdominis are the long, thin bands of muscle fibers that stretch between your ribcage and your pubis. The external obliques lie on each side of the rectus abdominis and the internal obliques are just beneath this outer group of muscles. Although abdominal exercises can improve your balance and strengthen your core, incorrect abdominal workouts can lead to lower back pain.

Warm-Up

Warming up the muscles in your abdomen prepares them for strenuous activity, such as situps, pullups, crunches and twists. Five to 15 minutes of light cardiovascular exercise, such as brisk walking, slow jogging or calisthenics, helps to get your heart pumping and pushes the blood to your muscles. About five to 10 minutes of stretching will also limber up the muscles in your abdomen and back, helping to reduce the possibility of tearing tight muscle fibers. Bending from side to side and arching your back will help prepare the abdominal muscles for resistance exercise.

Cool-Down

Cool-down sessions help to ease your muscles back to a relaxed state. Stretching plays an important role during the minutes following an abdominal workout. Following a resistance session with 10 minutes of movements that extend the muscles will help to improve flexibility and gradually cool down the muscles.

Considerations

Jumping right into an abdominal workout without preparing the muscles can lead to soreness and muscle strain. The University of North Carolina Campus Health Services recommends stretching to the point of light tension and then holding your extension for 10 to 20 seconds before relaxing and repeating the stretch. Bouncing and jerking during stretching may cause pain. Performing your abdominal workout immediately after an aerobic session will ensure that your muscles are warm and ready for resistance exercise.