Contents

Know more about this
(or any other) subject?

Show off your know-how at Quamut Wiki.

Learn more with these titles from Barnes & Noble

Previous:
Exercising Your Abs

Next:
Abs Exercises: Form and Safety

The Abdominal Muscles

The abdominal muscles (or abs for short) are the muscles that make up the front of the torso. The abs consist of three major muscle groups:

Rectus abdominis: Begins just below the sternum and extends below the belly button. A well defined rectus abdominis is often termed a six-pack or washboard stomach.
Obliques: Made up of the external and internal obliques, this muscle group stretches down along the sides of your torso.
Transversus abdominis: A sheath of muscle behind the rectus abdominis and the obliques, the transversus abdominis surrounds, protects, and supports your internal organs. To ensure that you work your transversus abdominis, exhale and draw your navel to your spine during each exercise. This is called the drawing-in maneuver.

Benefits of Strengthening Your Abs

Strengthening your abs will help improve your:

Health: Strong abs promote good posture and protect your lower back, and can reduce back pain. Strengthening your transversus abdominis also helps protect your vital internal organs.
Performance: The abs are involved in countless movements, from running to jumping to standing. Strong abs help make everyday motions easier and help improve athletic performance.
Appearance: Tight abs are considered attractive on both men and women.

There are a number of common misconceptions about exercising your abs that you should know about before starting any ab workout regimen.

Abs gadgets will give you the best workout: You can work your abs just as effectively with exercises that use no equipment at all. Certain tools, though, such as a stability ball, can be helpful if used correctly.
To get results, you must do hundreds of crunches: The quality, not the quantity, of abs exercises is what counts. If you’re doing hundreds of crunches without getting tired, you may be using bad form, and thus relying on momentum rather than targeting the right muscles. The goal is to do an exercise until you reach the point of muscle fatigue, when you physically cannot perform another repetition.
Doing abs exercises will result in ripped abs: Abs exercises will define and strengthen your abs muscles, but exercise alone won’t melt away the body fat on your torso. If you want a lean midsection, you’ll need to combine abs workouts with strength training, regular cardio sessions, and healthy eating habits.