FitSugar

You Asked: How Do I Strengthen My Abs?

FitSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:30:00 -0700

You're asking and I'm answering . . .

"Hi Fit,
I am frustrated with my abs. Although I am pretty active, eat well, run a lot and pretty toned and all, my abs are a mess! I have very weak abs and that is the only area where I am completely flabby and loose. Not only does the appearance bother me, but mostly because I want strong abs so that my back is strong too. My question is how do I improve the strength of my abs? I try all sorts of things, but thought if I had a little more guidance on how to strengthen them, I can be on my way to being healthier, stronger and having a tight stomach. If you could help I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!"
– Miss Frustrated

This is a great question and I know you are not alone in this quest, so to see my answer read more.

The abs seem to be a difficult area to tone and while "six pack" abs may be aesthetically pleasing they don't necessarily translate to a strong torso or healthy back. Since we cannot pick and choose the area of our bodies where fat is lost, the best bet for losing belly "flab" is cardio, for all over weight loss.

While you can't spot reduce, you can spot tone (this is important for preventing back problems) and when it comes to abdominals you need to work all four layers of abdominal muscles. Here's a quick run down on the layers going from outermost layer, you have the rectus which turns into the six pack, the external and internal obliques, and the transverse. And you are right you need strong abs to help your back, and here's the run down on what your ab muscles do and exercises for each layer, plus a bonus exercise for your back.

Rectus:
Controls the tilt of the pelvis and can affect the curvature of the lower spine, bends the torso forward
Exercises: Bicycle Crunches and Ball Crunches

Obliques:
Creates intra-abdominal pressure to stabilize the spine, side bending and twisting torso
Exercises: Twist Oblique Crunch and Ab Crossover

Transverse:
Flattens the belly, creates intra-abdominal pressure to stabilize the spine
Exercises: Elbow plank and Side elbow plank

Back Extensors
Stabilize the spine, as well as extend (arch), side bend and twist spine
Exercise: Superman and Flying with an exercise ball

To work your abs you need to do enough reps of an exercise, or variety of exercises, until your abs really burn and feel exhausted. Then repeat the set two more times. Just like strength training, you want to give your ab muscles time to recover, so work them at the most every other day. Your abs, especially your transverse, should engage before you move your arms or your legs to provide stability to the spine. So you should be working them all the time, so if you use the elliptical or stair stepper try not using your hands to force your abs to engage so your time on cardio machines will be doing double duty.

Wow . . . I had no idea I has so much to say about abs.

Source

Finding Your Deep Abs!

FitSugar — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 09:30:00 -0700

Finding your deep abs is essential to training your core and for just about every Pilates exercise in the book. Accessing them, however, can be difficult. Here is the easiest path to discover your transverse abdominus (TVA for short), the deepest of all the abdominals.

Sit upright in a chair or cross-legged on the floor. Align your head over your pelvis while maintaining the natural curve and keeping the spine long. This is no time for slouching. You need to sit in front of a mirror so you can monitor the movement of your shoulders.
Place your hands on the sides of your waist with your thumbs pointed back and your index fingers forward.
Inhale into the back and sides of your ribs (imagine a balloon filling up with air), not just your chest, without letting your shoulders rise to your ears. This can take a few tries to master. If breathing this way makes you light headed, take smaller inhales - just don't let your shoulders rise.

Who knew finding something in your own body could have so many steps? For the rest of the steps read more

Exhale by pulling your abdominals toward your spine to force the diaphragm up into the lungs, creating the exhale. You should feel the diameter of your waist decreasing as you do this, since the TVA wraps around the waist and attaches in the back. It helps to make a soft "Haaaaa" sound while you exhale.
Keep inhaling and exhaling in this manner.
When exhaling you want to feel a sensation of the abdominals pulling up from the pubic bone to the belly button, kind of a zipping sensation. To help activate this sensation feel the pelvic floor pulling up, like doing a Kegel exercise.
Once this feels natural (or at least easier), try it lying on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.

This breathing is simple, easy and rather inconspicuous so you can practice at your desk! I have a friend that breathes this way at every stop light (she keeps her hands on the wheel though). Integrate using your TVA when you lift weights, so you're working your deep abs (and helping to stabilize your torso) as well.

Will the Ab Machine Get You Abs Like Kate Hudson?

FitSugar — Tue, 22 May 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Kate Hudson's abs are looking fab these days, but can you get abs like that by using the ab machine at the gym?

Ab machines will definitely give your abs (and back) a decent workout, but I wouldn't rely on this machine for head turning abs. The problem with the machine is that it only allows you one position and if your goal is abs like Kate, a good idea would be to work your belly from all angles.

Right now I am loving the full body crunch because not only does it add variety to a boring ol' crunch and it works your abs from several angles, you can also do it anywhere. Here's how: Lie supine (on your back) with knees bent, feet touching floor and hands behind your head. Curl your abs up (make sure to pull your belly button towards your spine and flatten your lower back against the floor), while bringing your shoulders and feet off the floor. Hold for 3 seconds and lower slowly back to starting point to complete one -- Do 3 sets of 15 to start, but work your way up to doing 3 sets of 25.

Fit's Tip: Make sure to breathe on the curling action of the exercise and don't use your hands to push your head up, your abs should be doing all the work.

For motivation on doing full body crunches, i.e. more pics of Kate's fab abs then read more

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Flynet

Got Back Pain? Try Pilates

FitSugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 02:30:00 -0700

You all know that I love Pilates. I started practicing the method because of chronic back pain. After trying physical therapy and yoga, it was doing Pilates regularly that got me out of pain. When I say regularly, I mean 5 to 7 days a week. Mr. Joe Pilates said that all it takes is 20 minutes of these exercises a day to keep the core in shape. I can attest to the truth of that statement. I am a walking, dancing, running, yoga practicing, skiing example of the power of Pilates. There are now some studies that prove the benefits of Pilates as a rehabilitative tool.

Queen's University School of Rehabilitation Therapy studied physically active 20 and 55 year olds with chronic back pain (just like me!!!). They found that the subjects that followed a regime of equipment-based exercises of the Pilates method, that strengthen core muscles in the lumbar-pelvic region, fared better than the subjects that simply consulted with physicians and other health care specialists. The Pilates group overall had 46% more pain relief and these improvements were visible a year later. Were those folks doing their 20 minutes a day? The study didn't say, but some of the basic Pilates concepts really help in activities of daily life.

Pilates teaches you how to stabilize your spine as well as how to safely increase spinal flexibility. I believe wholeheartedly that working with a certified Pilates practitioner is the way to go if you are trying to get out of pain. Although the private sessions are expensive, the pay off is great, less pain and more strength. Once you learn how to engage those deep abs and work your core, there is no going back.

Photo: Melanie Johnson
Power Flow Pilates, New Haven, CN

They Are AB-ilicious

FitSugar — Mon, 07 May 2007 14:32:00 -0700

Life and Style put together the best abs in Hollywood, with a few tips on how they get them that way. It is a little motivational and a lot of eye candy. Plus they asked FitSugar to comment on the lovely bellys of these stars. How's that for a day's work - gazing at the celebs' six packs.

Here are the top ten bellys in Hollywood, listed in order of appearance, and what I had to say about some of them.

Shakira: Those abs don't lie!
Jessica Alba: It is a sin to look that good. She's ab-ilicious.
Gisele Bundchen
Mario Lopez: He's saved by the belly.

Want to see who else made the cut? Then read more

Denise Richards: She lives in a bikini, and with those abs we know why. Two kids later and she is still looking fabulous.
Keira Knightley and Rupert Friend
David Beckham
Jessica Biel
Matthew McConaughey

They all look ab fab. Does it make you want to do more crunches? Let me know below in the comments section.

How Often Should I Work My Abs?

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 08:45:17 -0800

A lot of people who are looking for a flat, tight midsection may have the tendency to work their abs every day, but that may not be the answer.

The problem with that is this: Your abs are not different from the other major muscles of the body which means you want to give them (like you would your other muscles) time to recuperate. Keeping that in mind, you really shouldn't work your abs (high intensity ab workout) more than three times per week, allowing at least 48 hours rest between training sessions.

Here is the good news: If you're involved in a regular strength training program, you may even want to think about training your abs even less because you're probably working your abs more than you think. The abdominals act as "stabilizer muscles", which means they help support the spine and maintain balance so they are indirectly involved in just about every exercise (even in the slightest way) that you perform. A lot of exercises (such as squats, overhead presses and swimming) require significant contributions from the abs so basically, your abs are being inadvertently worked every time you work out. In fact, many bodybuilders never really only work on their abs, however most body builders have some serious abs.

Fit's Tip: You may say, "but Fit you told me to do your 4 minute ab video everyday!" Yes I did, but that video is not high intensity (say at least 30 minutes of straight ab work), which is what I am talking about here.

How's Your Short, Sweet and Complete Abs Test Case Going?

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 12:00:00 -0800

Hey all -

How's it going with the 4 minute ab workout? I've been questioning folks here to see what they think and they have noticed a couple of things.

First - The exercises have gotten a little bit easier.

Second - They do feel like their belly's are getting more toned.

Third - A couple of test case volunteers really hate the hip ups, but I love them so so all I can say is learn to love them too.

Please write in and tell me what you think and how your body feels.

Stay tuned for a video workout for toning your love handles just in time for Valentine's Day.

Here's the video if you haven't tried it already.

Pilates Video: Saw Off Your Baby Toe

FitSugar — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 09:15:00 -0800

Looking for a way to work your abs and stretch your back at the same time!!! I love multitasking exercises like this one with one of the best names in the Pilates repertoire Saw off your baby toe.

Try it. I think you will like it. Plus, it is a great exercise to do in a series with the Twist.

Remember to really pull yourself back to upright with your abdominals. The more you work your abs, the bigger stretch you will get for your back.

Core Questions

FitSugar — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 02:30:00 -0800

No doubt you have heard the term "core" tossed about they gym. You know it's deep, but you have some core questions.

Core question - What is it?

The Core is a group of muscles made up of:

The tranversus abdominis (don’t be intimidated by the Latin) a.k.a the deep abdominal muscle that wraps around your torso. It is the deepest of the abs, and it acts like a natural weight-lifting belt.
The multifidi – a group of deep spinal muscles that stabilize the spine and prevent excessive rotation of the vertebrae.
The pelvic floor– yep, down there. The pelvic floor is a few layers of muscles that connect your pubic bone, tail bone and sits bones.

Core question – What does it do?
When these groups of muscles work together they stabilize the torso, pelvis and spine.

Have a few more core questions? Then read more

Core question – How do I feel my core?
Imagine sandwiching your spine with your deep abs and deep spinal muscles while pulling your pelvic floor up (like doing a kagel with a lift).

Core question – How do I strengthen my core?
You want to feel the core engage as you exhale during the strenuous part of an exercise. When lifting weights, exhale and feel your core, then lift. Your torso should stay stable – that’s how you know your working it.

Core question - Why is it important?
It stabilizes your pelvis and low back, helping to prevent injury. It also makes for a flat belly.

Source

Let Pilates Move You: Twisted Obliques

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 11:32:00 -0800

If your abdominal strengthening routine is feeling stale, why not put a twist on it?

This variation on the basic "sit-up" targets the obliques. Try it at home or the gym soon and let us know what you think of it.

Move 1) Lie on your back with bent knees and twist both legs to the left until your legs are on the floor. Bend elbows and interlace fingers behind your head. Really cradle and support your head.

Move 2) Exhale pulling your deep abs in to your spine, lift your head and upper back off the floor using your abdominals. Keep your shoulders square to the ceiling because it's so easy to cheat. Really focus on your left shoulder coming off the floor as much as the right one by actively reaching it towards your right hip.

Inhale and slowly lower your head. Repeat 9 more times before switching sides.

Fit’s tip: It is good to stretch your spine and obliques before doing the sit ups. To stretch, lie in the twisted position from "Move 1", but reach your arms straight out to the side and rest them on the floor. Hold the stretch for about 30 seconds on each side.

To see how not to do this exercise read more

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