No need for special equipment when you are ready to get down to some serious ab work. You can tone and tighten the abdominal muscle groups with faithful repetition of daily crunch exercises. While toning your abs will not eliminate belly fat, combining crunches with aerobic conditioning will help. Make good use of the floor in front of you and start your cross crunch abdominal exercise today.
Types
The core of the abdominal muscle group is composed of three subsets: the rectus abdominis and the internal and external obliques. The rectus abdominis muscle extends vertically up under the ribcage and flexes the spine as well as assists in sideways movements.The external obliques are two muscle sheaths that flank the rectus abdominis. They work with the internal obliques, which are tucked beneath them, to rotate the trunk, bend it side to side and flex the ribcage . The ideal ab exercise will crunch across all these muscle groups.
Misconceptions
Dr. Len Kravitz, in his "Super Abs Resource Manual," refutes the idea that you can work separate abdominal muscles with different exercises: "Although the abdominal muscles have intersegmental nerve stimulation, you are not able to contract one section independent of the other." However, he does not recommend adherence to one ab toning movement only, but rather to a variety of crunches that will vary muscle contractions.
Time Frame
Strength and conditioning specialist Deborah L. Mullen, C.S.C.S., cautions against going for quantity over quality in a cross ab crunch workout. Contending that resistance training tones muscles more effectively, she advises, "effective exercise will fatigue muscles in less than 20 repetitions and will produce better results." Kravitz concurs, and advises that a focus on correct technique and body position, plus slower completion of each repetition during ab crunching, optimizes results.
Identification
One of the best cross-crunch ab exercises is the seated row crunch. You may not be able to do more than a couple of repetitions at first, due to its degree of difficulty, but once you master this movement, all three abdominal muscle groups will thank you. The seated row crunch is done from a prone position on the back with arms at the sides. Raising the back off the floor as in a standard crunch, with arms extended in front of the body, you pull the knees toward the chest at the same time, with feet 6 inches or so above the floor. You complete the movement by slowly lowering the upper torso to the floor while extending the legs and lowering them to the floor.
Benefits
Keeping the abdominal core muscles toned and strong can reduce your risk of back injury and keep back pain at bay. Strong abs can contribute to improvements in standing and sitting posture as well. Even though the most intense ab workout will not trim away unwanted fat, a regular program of cross ab crunches is instrumental in maintaining a fit musculature for life.
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