Abdominal exercise
Abdominal exercises are those that affect the abdominal muscles (colloquially known as the stomach muscles or "abs").
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[edit] Usage
Abdominal exercises are useful for building the abdominal muscles. This is useful for improving performance with certain sports, back pain, taking punches, but it has little effect on decreasing fat in that area of the body (belly fat), or on the body's distribution of body fat.[1]
[edit] Breakdowns
The anterior abdominal wall is made up of 4 muscles—the rectus abdominis muscle, the internal and external obliques, and the transversus abdominis.
[edit] Types of abdominal exercises and effectiveness
The abdominal muscles can be worked out by practicing disciplines of general body strength such as Pilates, yoga, T'ai chi, and jogging among others. There are also specific routines to target each of these muscles.
[edit] Momentaneous activity
One way to estimate the effectiveness of abdominal exercise is in measuring the momentaneous activity by electromyography (EMG), with the activity generally being compared to that of the traditional crunch. However, an exercise of lower activity performed during a longer time can give at least as much exercise as a high-activity exercise, with the main difference being that a prolonged duration results more in aerobic exercise than strength training.
The following ranks abdominal exercises from highest to lowest in terms of activity as determined by the EMG measures:[2]
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1Compared to traditional crunch (100%)
[edit] Bicycle crunch
The bicycle targets the rectus abdominals and the obliques. Also, the rectus abdominals can be worked out with the basic crunch, the vertical crunch, the reverse crunch, and the full vertical crunch, and when very fit the individual parts of the muscle become visible; many refer to this visible separation as a six pack. By exercising the internal and external obliques the stomach can be flattened while the waist line can be reduced.[3] The long arm crunch, in which arms are straighten behind you, adds a longer level to the move and emphasizes the upper part of the abs. The plank exercise not only strengthens the abs but also the back and stabilizes the muscles.[4]
[edit] Gadgets
Abdominal exercises can also be performed with the help of some machines and the captain's chair is one of the most popular machines used in gyms and health clubs. Other machines are the Ab Roller and the Torso Track. The exercise ball is also a tool that helps strengthen the abs. It may be more effective than the crunches on the floor because the abs do more work as the legs are not involved in the exercise.[5] Potentially the most effective equipment for abdominal strengthening are those that offer the least stability. Examples include the CoreFitnessRoller, bodyweight suspension training such as TRX and stability balls with or without the Halo.[6]
[edit] Safety of abdominal exercises
Abdominal exercises also put some degree of compressive force on the lumbar spine, putting unwanted stress on the lower back. In addition, exaggerated abdominal exercise can cause respiratory problems.[7] A study of twelve exercises concluded that no single exercise covered all abdominal muscles with high intensity and low compression.[8]
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The benefit of focused training on the "deep core" muscles such as the transversus abdominis has been disputed, with some experts advocating a more comprehensive training regimen.[9]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Michael Jensen, M.D. (2007-01-19). "Belly fat in men: What you need to know". Mayoclinic.com. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/belly-fat/MC00054. Retrieved 2008-04-07. "Sit-ups will make your abdominal muscles stronger, sure. And, you may look thinner by building your abdominal muscles because you can hold in your belly fat better. But strengthening your stomach muscles alone will not specifically reduce belly fat."
- ^ Mark Anders; Peter Francis, Ph.D., Jennifer Davis, M.A (2001). "New Study Puts the Crunch on Ineffective Ab Exercises". ACE fitnessmatters. http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/studies/BestWorstAbExercises.pdf.
- ^ "Abdominal Muscle Anatomy". http://www.abs-exercise-advice.com/abdominal-muscle-anatomy.html. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
- ^ "Top 10 Most Effective Ab Exercises". http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/ss/abexercises_10.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
- ^ "Top 10 Most Effective Ab Exercises". http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/ss/abexercises_10.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
- ^ best ab machine
- ^ Respiratory problems from abdominal exercise
- ^ CT Axler; SM McGill (1997). "Low back loads over a variety of abdominal exercises: Searching for the safest abdominal challenge". Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 29 (6): 804–810. PMID 9219209.
- ^ Reynolds, Gretchen (2009-06-17). "Is Your Ab Workout Hurting Your Back?". New York Times. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/core-myths/. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
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