Get Your Abs in Shape
It is time to get those abs in shape! I like to take a practical, efficient approach to abdominal/core strengthening, which can be implemented without a big time commitment. Side benefits include abdominal support for your back, improvements in your posture, and when combined with a proper diet-better fitting clothes with a shrinking waistline.Your core muscles can be divided into five basic groups. Here are five categories of core exercise:
- Upper abdominals: These muscles are the most commonly exercised by most folks in the gym. Typical crunches and Pilates "100" are examples.
- Lower abdominals: These muscles are targeted through such exercises as leg drops, and jack knifes.
- Obliques: These side muscles are targeted through such exercises as side crunches, bicycles, or side plank exercise.
- Transversus abdominus: These pelvic floor, deeper muscles are targeted by exercises such as pelvic tilts, all fours pelvic tilts and the plank.
- Back Extensors: These back muscles can be activated through lumbar hyperextension exercises like arm and leg lifts from a stomach lying position.
Your daily workout will only take you five minutes, performing one minute of each of the above type exercises.
Jim Flood, MSPT is co-owner of Personally Fit, a fitness/physical therapy center located in Rancho Bernardo. He has been in clinical practice for over 20 years. He can be reached at jflood@ personallyfitonline.com
