Having strong abdominal muscles help you maintain a good, upright posture, produce more physical strength and power and appear to have a smaller waistline. Traditional exercises---such as sit-ups, crunches and leg lifts---do not improve muscle strength and function; instead, they place too much strength on the lumbar spine and hip flexors. To get strong abs, you must train your entire body with exercises and strategies that require your abdominals to "fire up," support your body and move in different directions.
Functional Anatomy
Your abdominal muscles are part of the lumbo-pelvic-hip-complex (LPHC), which is made up of 29 muscles that are connected to the trunk, spine, hips, shoulders and legs. These core muscles are divided into the inner and outer units.
The inner unit (transversus abdominus, multifidi, internal oblique) provide stability and balance while the outer unit (rectus abdominus, erector spinae, external oblique) provides movement. Other muscles groups that works with the abdominals include the pelvic floor muscles, diaphragm and the gluteal complex (buttocks).
Function
Your abdominal muscles move in three planes of motion: sagittal (front and back), frontal (side to side) and transverse (horizontal and diagonal rotation). The inner unit maintains your center of gravity and maintain posture while the outer unit move in various directions. Your abdominals also absorb shock during landing from jumps (jump rope, long jumps) and channel energy from your legs to your arms for throwing and lifting (baseball pitch, weight lifting).
Misconceptions
Most men believe that doing sit-ups, crunches, leg lifts and other traditional ab exercises will help develop strength or give them a "six-pack" appearance. However, these exercises usually cause lower back pain and tight hip flexors, especially for those who sit often at work. First, you must have low body fat to get the six-pack look. Second, the traditional ab exercises are often done on the ground and neglect other adjacent body parts. Therefore, these exercises do not transfer strength and function to a standing position, which is required in most sports and activities.
Sample Exercise
The one-arm kettleball snatch and lift is an exercise that not only trains your entire body, but also the left and right sides of the core. It also teaches you to transfer energy from your legs, to your trunk and out to your shoulder and arm.
Stand shoulder-width apart with your toes pointing forward. Hold a kettlebell hanging between your legs while maintaining a tall spine. Do a half squat and lift the kettlebell over your shoulder and wrist as you spring your legs and hips up while keeping your elbow close to the center of your body. The momentum of the swing should make you sink to the ground like a spring. Use your legs and trunk to drive your body up again to extend your shoulder and arm up and to lift the weight above your head. Hold for a second and slowly lower the arm to the carry position. Return to the start position and repeat for four to five reps for three to four sets on both sides.
Warning
If you have any back injuries, hip or spine stiffness or any pain existing, do not attempt any exercises until you are cleared with your physician or treating rehab therapist. Any training program must be assessed by a qualified fitness professional who has training and experience dealing with such problems.
References
- Athletic Development; Vern Gambetta; 2006
- Back to the Future of Abdominal Training: Paul Chek; 2001
- Low Back Disorders; Stuart McGill; 2007
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