Power Abs

Before we can improve ourselves we must be aware of a problem or identify a reason to change. Often exercisers are confounded as their training plateaus so they increase sets, reps and weight in hope of further development. For some it works. Others would quickly progress if they just understood their bodies. If knowledge is power these few basic points will at least give you dominion over your abdominal workouts.

Your abs stabilize your trunk–

When you lift a dumbbell out to one side with your right hand your abs left of your belly button contract to keep your torso from tipping to the right. Next time you're in the gym place your left hand around your mid-section, just above your hip to verify this. You'll feel the abs engage to stabilize your trunk as the weight in your right hand rises. In the real world your abs fire as you carve a wide radius turn on the snow. Your mid-section secures your smooth skiing style. Abs operate statically as you do leg lifts, ideally holding your spine in neutral alignment and preventing forward pelvic tilt.

Your abs round your back–

Spinal flexion involves shortening the abs (rectus abdominus, in this case) to bring the rib cage toward the pelvis (a crunch) or vice versa (as in a reverse crunch), plain and simple. The right range of motion is about 30°, but don't get out your protractor just yet. Pay attention to where the movement is occurring. If your head, shoulders and arms are moving and your rib cage isn't you're not doing a crunch.

There are no upper or lower abs–

The rectus abdominus–that "six-pack" muscle–is only one muscle that because of the "all or none" principle of muscle physiology contracts from top to bottom if it contracts at all. Touch 'em with your fingers. Your "lower abs" are stimulated just as well doing an "upper ab" exercise as when you're "targeting" them with a leg lift, or some other "specialized" movement. Nonetheless, to bring the "lower abs" under control concentrate on posture--simply make a habit of gently drawing your navel in toward your spine as you stand, sit and--depending on the movement--exercise.

You can realize exceptional aesthetic abdominal development from just a single exercise, or even with no specific ab exercise at all, but I'd recommend doing several abdominal exercises with your workouts anyway, just for general fitness. In fact, you probably have a varied routine already. Review your ab training technique and see if any of this makes sense. If so, your payoff is an improved mid-section. In any event, it couldn't hurt.



to august, 1999, to october, 1999

Just So You Know

This was originally published in Brentwood News in September of 1999 and is an ongoing column providing a hopefully fresh, interesting and useful take on health and fitness. Though the "Pete" articles have been discontinued the content is as always drawn largely from personal training experiences over the last 15 years.