Ab Training Truths
By Joe Senate, MSS

There is a multitude of infomercials, systems, products, and programs designed to etch a washboard shape into your mid-section. Whether you use a rolling device, a plastic stealth bomber, or have just done crunches and sit-ups till smoke billowed from your waist, you just don’t seem to sharpen those stubborn abs very much.

What is this secret that seems to be evading most of us? First, let’s look at the function of the Rectus Abdominus (the name of the muscle that spans the abdomen): Stated simply, it serves to shorten the distance between the hips and the ribs. Most of the devices and exercises we are familiar with offer some resistance through that range of motion yet yield minimal results.

Well-developed or not, your abdominals will not rear their aesthetic head through even a light layer of fat. It will be necessary to minimize midsection fat to dig those enviable trenches.

There are three major components of fitness that need to be addressed to effectively reduce fat - an evenly balanced weight training program (extra emphasis on abs will not make a difference), cardiovascular exercise, and a balanced "lower" calorie diet. A well-structured progressive resistance-training program will increase the lean mass (muscle) of the body, which will increases metabolism facilitating a greater loss of fat throughout the day. Low intensity cardiovascular exercise is a wonderful way to directly break down fatty acids for energy, hence the essence of the phrase "burning fat." Last but not least (as a matter of fact, probably most), DIET DIET DIET!!!
As mentioned, periods of calorie restriction are imperative for most to get lean enough to develop a defined look in the abdomen region.

Now you are lifting weights, doing aerobics, and have found a diet that is conducive to losing fat and maintaining muscle mass; there's one component left in your quest for ab-specific exercises. Abdominal training is riddled with myths and misconceptions that are perpetuated by gym-rats and equipment manufacturers.

Myth 1: You must do many many more repetitions per set for abdominal training.

The rectus abdominis has a distribution of slow and fast twitch muscle fibers; therefore, it can be trained with the same set/rep parameters you use for other exercises.

Myth 2: You need to focus on upper and lower abdominal exercises.

There are no "upper" or "lower" abdominals. As a matter of fact, it is not even appropriate to pluralize abdominal (as I am guilty of doing in this article for literary effect in a few places). The rectus abdominis is one muscle that originates at the lower end of the anterior aspect of the rib cage and inserts at the pelvis. The reason for the washboard like indentations in the rectus abdominis result from tendonous inscriptions that cross the muscle and tug at it like a tight net.

Myth 3: Abdominal training must be done every day.

The rectus abdominus is a muscle like any other and needs time to recover from the stress of resistance training.

Myth 4: Abdominal exercises with weight will just give me a distended belly instead of a flat midsection.

Abdominal distention is more likely a result from excessive lordotic curvature of the lumbar spine than abdominal mass (especially in drug free exercisers)

O.K., The bad news is that most people need a strong strength training/aerobic/diet discipline to ever bring out the abs. The good news is that the musculature itself is pretty easy to develop. Here are some killer exercises that will develop the abs with maximum effectiveness.

Abdominal Crunch: Place yourself on the floor with your back down. Bring your upper torso off the floor by rounding your back and trying to bring your shoulders toward your hips in a straight line. You should visualize one thorasic vertebrae (from top to bottom) lifting off the ground at a time. Keep the head neutrally aligned with the torso throughout the entire movement. If you are positioned properly you will feel your lumbar spine pressing firmly against the floor.

Pre-stretch Abdominal Crunch: This exercise is a more advanced version of the abdominal crunch. All the same rules apply; however, the range of motion (ROM) is greater in this exercise. The ROM is increased by placing a tightly rolled towel under the fulcrum point of the back allowing a greater arch in the starting position. This can also be performed and further complicated by lying on a Swiss ball. I recommend this version of the crunch to any healthy trainee who can perform three to five sets of ten to twenty repetitions on the abdominal crunch

Cable Crunch: The cable crunch is a fundamental abdominal exercise; however, I see it performed on a daily basis in the gym I train at with such dubious form that I cannot distinguish it from a Tantric sex position I tried in 1989. This exercise can be performed from a kneeling position or standing. Hold a rope attached to a high cable unit with your fists firmly pressed against your chest. Creating the same torso posture as you would while doing a crunch on the floor, directly move the ribs toward the pelvis while conspicuously rounding your back. The major advantage of this exercise is the tension you can place on the rectus abdominus. The exercise requires extreme body awareness and should be performed after a mastery of the swissball crunch.

Because it is spring and we are heading toward the bikini/swim-trunks season I have focused on the cosmetic benefits of abdominal training. The spinal health benefits of abdominal training are profound and the performance benefits are measurable (an advanced athlete will perform more dynamic and explosive ab exercise then the one's listed in this article). The exercises listed should follow the same set/rep scheme the rest of your exercises do. For example, if you are doing three sets of ten on Bench Press, then do three sets of ten on the Pre-stretch Crunch. If the abdominal exercise seems to easy for your current set/rep scheme then do a more complex abdominal exercise or intensify the exercise with more resistance (use more weight). To go into more detail on the unexpanded topics of strength training and aerobics, I recommend ISSA's Certified Fitness Trainer course (Download the course brochure - you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader). For intense and complete nutrition information, I recommend ISSA's Specialist in Performance Nutrition course.