By: Michelle Marie Diaz, CSCS, CISSN
Date Published: August 2011
Everybody dreams about having a small waistline, a flat belly, and a six-pack; and they think that “training their abs” everyday will do the trick.
The reality is that without the proper nutrition, there is no way that dream is going to come true. And training the abs “improperly” and “everyday” will not do the trick either. Here are a few misconceptions and things that drive me crazy when it comes to “abs training”, and how to make that training more effective.
Misconceptions:
Misconception #1: If I train my ABS every day, I will have a flat belly.
Misconception #2: I do this exercise for the “lower ABS” and this exercise for the “upper ABS”.
Misconception #3: I do 100 crunches every day.
Misconception #4: The best time to train your “ABS” is…… As a warm-up……. At the end of a workout……. In between sets.
The Truth:
Truth #1:
First of all, what are the “ABS”? Are they one muscle?
According to Medicine.Net who is supposed to bring us doctors knowledge, the definition of the Abdominal Muscles is a large group of muscles in the front of the abdomen that assists in the regular breathing movement and supports the muscles of the spine while lifting and keeping abdominal organs such as the intestines in place.
Another definition of abdominal muscles says muscles that support the trunk and allow for movement in the trunk.
So clearly, there are more than 4 muscles that compose the abdomen, muscles such as Erector Spinae, Mulitifidus, and, and Pyramidalis to name a few. But according to most texts the abdomen consists of 4 major muscles:
- Rectus Abdominus
- Transverse Abdominus
- Internal Obliques
- External Obliques
Now would you train your biceps every day?
No, you wouldn’t! So why would you train your “ABS” every day. They are muscles just like every other muscle in the body, which need rest and recovery in order to be in their most optimal state.
Bottom Line: You should not train your “ABS” every day.
The Truth #2:
Let’s just take one of the muscles from above, the rectus abdominus. The Rectus Abdominus does flexion and lateral flexion of the spine. It is one long muscle. Does that mean that when you do a crunch you only work “the upper abs”?
Absolutely not! The muscle has an origin and an insertion so when it contracts, the entire muscle contracts, not just half of it.
This one really drives me nuts. So let me clarify.
You cannot just work the “upper” or “lower” abs. The entire muscle contracts so the entire “rectus abdominus” is worked when you flex the trunk. Now, you can work some muscle fibers more than others depending on the movement you perform.
Here is the trick:
- If you stabilize the torso or upper body and initiate the movement in the pelvic region, you work more of the lower fibers of the rectus abdominus, per say.
- If you stabilize the pelvis and initiate the movement from the torso or upper body, you work more of the upper fibers of the rectus abdominus, per say.
BUT YOU ARE STILL WORKING THE ENTIRE MUSCLE.
So then, what is the best way to train the “ABS”?
I like to perform different movements in order to train all aspects of the trunk. So instead of doing what most do which is a stability ball crunch, followed by a weighted crunch and then a side crunch (all flexion of the spine). I think it is important to incorporate these 3 movements and initiating the movement in both the pelvic region and the torso or upper body.
The Truth #3
Time under tension is key. This is the time in which a muscle is placed under tension or load. In order to get some sort of hypertrophy a set should at least last 40 seconds. Yet you see people doing a set of 20 crunches with incredibly bad technique in 20 seconds.
The truth is that if you do a proper crunch or any movement with 40-70 seconds of time under tension and with proper biomechanics, there is no way you can do 20 reps. I’m tired of seeing people strengthen their hip flexors in an attempt to train their “lower abs”.
The Truth #4
There is no BEST time to train your “ABS” because it depends on what your goal is.
- If your goal today is to lift heavy and do some heavy barbell squats and dead lifts, it would not be a great idea to fatigue the much needed “ABS” at the beginning of a workout nor in between sets.
- If your goal today is to do a full body fat loss workout and you would like to activate the muscles in the abdomen region, it may be a good idea to train your “ABS” as a warm-up.
- If you are not lifting heavy and you would like some active rest in between a set, it’s ok to train your “ABS” in between sets.
It all depends on your goal for that specific workout.
So, you want those dreamy “ABS”? First of all you have to follow an optimal nutrition plan. Then you have to slow it down, use proper control and technique, do movements that exemplify all muscles of the trunk, train them at the right time, and give them some rest!
Michelle Marie Diaz, CSCS, CISSN has emerged as one of the nation’s foremost fitness professionals through a combination of both formal training and real-life experience.
She began paying attention to her health and fitness at the early age of five when she was chosen as an extra in the movie “The Four Seasons.” Soon thereafter her modeling career took off and so did her search to find answers for attaining physical beauty in a balanced manner.
After a decade of trial and error, Michelle’s frustration only fueled her desire to find the answers to creating a beautiful and healthy body. Although it required her to work six days every week when she was fifteen, Michelle hired a personal trainer and worked every single hour to pay her trainer. This is when her passion for fitness began. Her intense desire to learn grew more and more with each passing day. She immersed herself in books, courses and seminar, and she attained many highly regarded certifications including:
- National Strength & Conditioning Association’s Certified Personal Trainer
- National Strength & Conditioning Association’s Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
- Certified Sports Nutritionist from the International Society of Sports Nutrition. The CISSN is the premier certification in the field of sports nutrition and supplements.
- Muscle Activation Specialist
- AFAA Personal Trainer Certification
- Fitness Institute Exercise Science Certification
- Fitness Institute Strength and Conditioning Specialist Certification
- Johnny G Spinning Certification
- Funkicks Kickboxing Certification
- DSW Fitness Pregnancy & Strength Training
Check her out at www.michellemariefit.com
