Like most muscles, your abdominals tend to weaken with age unless you continually require them to bear more than their customary load. Strong abdominal muscles help prevent back problems, improve your posture and help keep your midsection looking trim. While it takes determination and sustained effort to get visibly rippled abdominal muscles, you can get stronger core muscles with just a few minutes of exercise a day. Check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.
Abdominal Muscles
The major muscles of the abdomen include your rectus abdominus muscles and your obliques. The two rectus abdominus muscles lie on either side of your navel and run from your pubic bone to your ribcage. These muscles help you exhale, flex your trunk and maintain intra-abdominal pressure. The interior and exterior oblique muscles attach at each side from your ribs and run the length of your trunk diagonally to your pubic bones. They help you flex and rotate your trunk and help keep the pressure inside your abdomen.
Building Strength Fast
To strengthen your abdominal muscles quickly, work the muscles using several different exercises at least five minutes every day. To build definition, work your muscles until they are exhausted and you cannot perform another repetition. This causes tiny tears in the muscle fiber which your body rebuilds by increasing the bulk of the muscle. If you work your muscles to exhaustion, you may need to skip a day between workouts as the muscles rebuild themselves and glycogen stores -- energy found in muscle tissue -- return.
Abdominal Exercises
According to a study published in the May 2001 issue of “Ace Fitness Matters,” the top exercises for strengthening abdominal muscles include the bicycle maneuver, the captain’s chair and the reverse crunch. Performing crunches on an exercise ball was also highly effective. To perform the bicycle maneuver, lie on your back with your hands behind your head. Bend your knees and raise your feet and shoulders off the floor. Alternately bring your knee to the opposite chest, meeting it with the opposite elbow. Do not let your feet touch the ground. Aim for one minute of continuous exercise. Perform the captain’s chair exercise on a stabilized workout machine. Hold the grips and slowly lift your knees to your chest and lower them back to the starting position. For crunches, lie on your back on an exercise ball with your knees bent and feet on the floor. With your hands behind your head, slowly raise your shoulders off the ball and lower to the starting position. Because technique is important, consult with a fitness trainer before attempting these exercises.
Other Strengthening Exercises
You don't need to target the abdominal muscles to strengthen them. Many aerobic and weightlifting routines work a number of muscle groups. Jogging, cycling and isometric exercises can help tighten and tone the core muscles. Activities such as vacuuming, hauling groceries and pulling weeds engage the abdominal muscles and help make them strong. Simply tightening your stomach muscles for a count of 20, then releasing them can strengthen them.
References
- Exrx.net: Rectus Abdominus
- Exrx.net: Obliques
- Brianmac.co.uk: Weight Training
- Acefitness.org; New Study Puts the Crunch on Ineffective Ab Exercises; Mark Anders; 2001
- Spinehealth.com; Back Exercises and Abdominal Exercise Recommendations; Thomas Hyde; October 2006
- University of New Mexico; Glycogen and Resistance Training; Todd Astorino, et al.; 1999
