Rectus Abdominis Training (Abs)

Posted at by ifydcat on category weight loss
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You can work your abs until hell freezes over, but if you still have a layer of fat, or in some cases even a beer belly, you will never be able to see the muscle. So, from a visual sense you must use proper diet & nutrition to actually be able to see your six pack abdominals, and that is an entirely different article and beyond the scope of this one.

All of us have abs, the technical name is Rectus Abdominis. It’s basically the “center” of your body and you could not really function without this muscle. Muscle, as in a single muscle? That’s exactly right the Rectus Abdominis is a single muscle (see diagram) that attaches from along the rib cage down to the pelvis bone. However, there are two other muscle groups that complete the abdominals: the Transverse Abdominus, and the External and Internal Obliques, but these two muscles are not the visible portions of the abs that make up the “six pack abdominals” that we all desire. The Transverse Abdominus acts as a natural weight belt, keeping your insides in; and the Internal and External Obliques work to rotate the torso, and stabilize the abdomen essential for trunk stability.

Since the Rectus Abdominis is a single muscle it is physiologically impossible to work different parts of the abs. You often hear people say things like “I need to work my lower abs cause they’re lacking”, well they can try as hard as they want but when you train your abs you train the entire muscle. This does not mean you should not incorporate a wide variety of abdominal exercises to get a six pack (crunches, leg raises, trunk rotation, etc.) into your ab training, I just wanted to make it clear that you are not going build or develop any one part of your “six pack” with different exercises. Now, remember that the lower area of the abs is a common problem in regards to excess fat storage for most people, especially males. So often the problem is not the abs per se, but excess body fat in that area that is covering the lower portion of the abs, again this requires dietary alterations not specific exercises.

 

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