Abdominal exercises are those that affect the abdominal muscles (colloquially known as the
stomach muscles or "abs").
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.
Breakdowns
The anterior abdominal wall is made up of 4 muscles—the
rectus abdominis muscleThe rectus abdominis muscle, also known as the "six pack", is a paired muscle running vertically on each side of the anterior wall of the human abdomen . There are two parallel muscles, separated by a midline band of connective tissue called the linea alba...
, the internal and external obliques, and the transversus abdominis.
Types of abdominal exercises and effectiveness
The abdominal muscles can be worked out by practicing disciplines of general body strength such as
PilatesPilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany, the UK and the USA. As of 2005, there were 11 million people practicing the discipline regularly and 14,000 instructors in the United States....
,
yogaYoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, T'ai chi, and
joggingJogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
among others. There are also specific routines to target each of these muscles.
Momentaneous activity
One way to estimate the effectiveness of abdominal exercise is in measuring the momentaneous activity by
electromyographyElectromyography is a technique for evaluating and recording the electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles. EMG is performed using an instrument called an electromyograph, to produce a record called an electromyogram. An electromyograph detects the electrical potential generated by muscle...
(EMG), with the activity generally being compared to that of the
traditional crunchThe crunch is one of the most common abdominal exercises. It primarily works the rectus abdominis muscle.-Form:A crunch begins with lying face up on the floor with knees bent. The movement begins by curling the shoulders towards the pelvis. The hands can be behind or beside the neck or crossed over...
. 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 exerciseAerobic exercise is physical exercise of relatively low intensity that depends primarily on the aerobic energy-generating process. Aerobic literally means "living in air", and refers to the use of oxygen to adequately meet energy demands during exercise via aerobic metabolism...
than
strength trainingStrength training is the use of resistance to muscular contraction to build the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles. There are many different methods of strength training, the most common being the use of gravity or elastic/hydraulic forces to oppose muscle contraction...
.
The following ranks abdominal exercises from highest to lowest in terms of activity as determined by the EMG measures:
Activity in rectus abdominis
| exercise |
mean
activity1 |
| Bicycle crunch |
248% |
| Captain's chair |
212% |
| Exercise ball |
139% |
| Vertical leg crunch |
129% |
| Torso track |
127% |
| Long arm crunch |
119% |
| Reverse crunch |
109% |
| Crunch with heel push |
107% |
| Ab roller |
105% |
| Hover |
100% |
| Traditional crunch The crunch is one of the most common abdominal exercises. It primarily works the rectus abdominis muscle.-Form:A crunch begins with lying face up on the floor with knees bent. The movement begins by curling the shoulders towards the pelvis. The hands can be behind or beside the neck or crossed over...
|
100% |
| Exercise tubing pull |
92% |
| Ab rocker |
21% |
| Pilates (Plank The plank is an isometric core strength exercise that involves maintaining a difficult position for extended periods of time...
) |
14% |
|
Activity in obliques
| exercise |
mean
activity1 |
| Captain's chair |
310% |
| Bicycle crunch |
290% |
| Reverse crunch |
240% |
| Hover |
230% |
| Vertical leg crunch |
216% |
| Exercise ball |
147% |
| Torso track |
145% |
| Crunch with heel push |
126% |
| Long arm crunch |
126% |
| Ab roller |
101% |
| Traditional crunch |
100% |
| Exercise tubing pull |
77% |
| Ab rocker |
74% |
| Yoga |
12% |
|
1Compared to traditional crunch (100%)
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 packThe rectus abdominis muscle, also known as the "six pack", is a paired muscle running vertically on each side of the anterior wall of the human abdomen . There are two parallel muscles, separated by a midline band of connective tissue called the linea alba...
. By exercising the internal and external obliques the stomach can be flattened while the
waistThe waist is the part of the abdomen between the rib cage and hips. On proportionate people, the waist is the narrowest part of the torso....
line can be reduced. 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.
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
floorA floor is the walking surface of a room or vehicle. Floors vary from simple dirt in a cave to many-layered surfaces using modern technology...
because the abs do more work as the legs are not involved in the exercise. 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.
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. A study of twelve exercises concluded that no single exercise covered all abdominal muscles with high intensity and low compression.
- High challenge-to-compression ratio
- Crunch with feet anchored
- Crunch with feet free
- Bicycle crunch
- Hanging straight leg raise
|
Low compression, lower challenge
- Crunch with feet anchored
- Crunch with feet free
|
High challenge, higher compression
- Straight-leg sit-up
The sit-up is a strength training exercise commonly performed with the aim of strengthening the hip flexors and abdominal muscles. It begins with lying with the back on the floor, typically with the arms across the chest or hands behind the head and the knees bent in an attempt to reduce stress on...
- Bent-leg sit-up
|
Low challenge-to-compression ratio
(not recommended!)
- Supine straight-leg raise
- Supine bent-leg raise
- Hanging bent-leg raise
- Static cross-knee crunch
|
The benefit of focused training on the "deep core" muscles such as the
transversus abdominisThe transversus abdominis muscle, also known as the transverse abdominus, transversalis muscle and transverse abdominal muscle, is a muscle layer of the anterior and lateral abdominal wall which is deep to the internal oblique muscle...
has been disputed, with some experts advocating a more comprehensive training regimen.