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Anatomical Abdominal Techniques
by Chris Akard
There are many different concepts and equipment to tone the abdominal
muscles. The abdominal techniques I'm going to describe are designed for both
maximum effectiveness and maximum safety.
Are you ready for the burn? If you train your abs correctly, that's exactly
what you'll get! Remember, these exercises will strengthen and tone your
abdominal area. There are other aspects to consider if you're looking to
decrease the actual size of your waistline. See the "Family Fitness"
article Waistline
Factors for more on this.
There are different variations of a proper and anatomical abdominal crunch.
First, let's learn how to do the basic abdominal crunch properly.
Safety
There are two areas of consideration for a safe abdominal movement. One is
the neck and the other is the back. I've heard many complaints from folks trying
to train their abs, but instead end up with a sore neck.
Protect the Neck: Your head can weigh approximately 15 to 20 lbs. If you're
not supporting it, then your neck muscles are and this can lead to a sore neck.
It is important to support the head weight with your hands and guide it
throughout the range of motion as you train your abdominals. Likewise, you can
hurt your neck by using your hands and arms too much. This happens when you pull
up on your head in an attempt to lift your body up and off the floor. This is
usually an unconscious effort to get the body off the ground. It then becomes
important to isolate the abdominal muscles and guide the head weight through the
range of motion.
Make a Cradle: As you can see, the hands are locked tightly. This will allow
you to relax the arms and maintain spinal alignment. I also like to recommend an
imaginary grapefruit between your chin and your chest. If there isn't enough
space between your chin and your chest, then you are most likely using your arms
too much and may end up with a sore neck.
Effectiveness
Trying to use your abdominals to lift your body can be a lot like a
righthander trying to throw a ball with his or her left hand. The mind is not
quite sure which muscles to use. Try to identify with the abdominals as much as
possible when completing an abdominal crunch. As the muscle contracts, it
shortens and pulls the weight of your upper body up. Your lower back will round
as a result. If your lower back does not round, you'll train your abs, but not
as effectively and you'll use a variety of muscles that may cause a back injury.
You want to keep constant tension in your abs throughout the range of motion. I
like to use the imaginary grapefruit again. This time, imagine it behind the
neck so you don't lower your body too far to the ground and give your abs the
rest that they may be crying for. Remember, you've got to want to work them!
Keep a slow and controlled speed. You don't want to have any momentum in the
movement. It is also very important to exhale on the up motion to get a
descending abdominal wall. This will give you the best ab contraction and,
essentially, a flatter tummy. Exhale through the up motion and not just at the
end.
Notice the spinal alignment with the imaginary grapefruit under my chin. (You
should use only an imaginary grapefruit.) I'm pulling with my abdominals and
releasing only to the level of the grapefruit under my head. Remember to exhale
as you lift up. Keep the tension in the abdominal and not in the neck.
Do two to five sets of 15 to 50 repetitions. If you go much beyond 50
repetitions, you may not be using the best form that you could. You can do these
sets two to five days per week for results.
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