LITTLE ROCK — Abdominal exercise is sort of like peanut butter, it never gets old.
People are always interested in the latest and greatest midsection moves, regardless of their difficulty. This is why I’ve decided to dedicate this week’s column to abdominal optimization. I’ll cover a few tips for challenging the abs, and I’ll introduce a new movement designed to attack this pesky region.
Strength training for the abdominal muscles follows the exact same set of principles any other muscle group would require. First, you must perform movements that force the abdominals to contract. In many cases, this will involve some variation of torso flexion.
Torso flexion is most easily identified by examining the motion of a normal situp. The shoulders and chest move forward and get closer to the lower body.
While torso flexion is certainly one way to challenge the midsection, there are several other movements that will provide adequate stimulus for developing this region. Torso rotation is another important movement that challenges the obliques, which some would consider a secondary region of the abdominal area.
Torso rotation can be combined with torso flexion to work the obliques and the primary abdominal muscle, rectus abdominus.
Once you’ve got the main movements down, it’s time to maximize results with perfect execution. Perform your repetitions slowly, counting two seconds on the concentric (lifting) phase and two seconds on the eccentric (lowering) phase. This will ensure that your muscles receive adequate resistance without utilizing an inordinate amount of momentum to complete the exercise.
Repetition speed and proper form are 90 percent of what it takes to do an exercise correctly, but the last 10 percent really takes practice. As you complete each repetition, try to deliberately contract the muscles you’re attempting to work. You’ll find that this minor adjustment makes any exercise far more effective, through the results you achieve and the intensity of the contraction.
This week’s exercise is, of course, an abdominal movement designed to really attack the midsection with the use of a Swiss ball. The Super Ball Crunch blasts the abs with reckless abandon.
1.
Select a medicine ball and lie face-up across a Swiss ball. Hang your shoulders off the back of the ball slightly to allow for abdominal engagement. Extend your right leg straight with your right heel on the floor. Keep your left leg bent at 90 degrees with the sole of its foot flaton the floor.
2.
Extend the medicine ball over your head while grasping it with both hands.
3.
From this position, crunch your shoulders upward and forward while lifting the right knee to your chest.
4.
Return to the starting position and repeat for 12 repetitions.
The key to the Super Ball Crunch is maintaining balance during movement. The core stability required to perform the exercise is quite advanced, but the intensity is appropriate for people of all fitness levels. Just make sure you’re next to a wall in the event that balance is lost. Enjoy!
Matt Parrott has a doctorate in education (sport studies), a master’s in kinesiology and is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine.
ActiveStyle, Pages 30 on 10/25/2010