The rectus abdominis is a long muscle extending along the length of the ventral aspect of the abdomen. It originates in the area of the pubis and inserts into the cartilage of the fifth, sixth, and seventh ribs. The basic function of the abdominals is to flex the spinal column and to draw the sternum toward the pelvis
When the abdominal muscles contract, a very simple thing happens: They pull the rib cage and the pelvis toward each other in a short, 'crunching' motion. No matter what kind of abdominal exercise you do, if it is really a primary ab movement this is what happens. In the past, before the physiology of abdominal training was well understood, bodybuilders used to do a lot of 'conventional' abdominal exercises such as sit-ups and leg raises. Unfortunately these exercise primarily work the hip flexors and not the abdominals.
To correctly train the abs, you have to draw the rib cage and pelvis together, such as in doing a crunch. This its a very short movement which involves teh back curling forward.
The abdominals are the ridged muscles framed by the obliques at the edges of Stan's torso, between the pectoral and pelvic areas.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:Emphasizes upper abs
EXECUTION:
(1)Sit on the roman chair bench, hook your feet under the support, and fold your arms in front of you.
(2)Keeping your stomach tucked in, lower yourself back to approximately a 70-degree angle, but not all the way back so your torso is parallel to the floor. Raise and curl your torso forward as far as possible, feeling the abdominals crunch together in a full contraction.
You can increase the intensity of the exercise by placing the front of the roman chair bench on a block of some sort to create an incline. You can intorduce variable resistance by starting out with the front of the bench raised and then, as you tire, lowering it to the floor and continuing with your sets.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:Emphasizes upper abs
EXECUTION:
(1)Lie on your back on the floor, your legs across a bench in front of you. You can put your hands behind your neck or keep them in front of you, whichever you prefer.
(2)Curl your shoulders and trunk upward toward your knees, rounding your back. Don't try to lift your entire back up off the floor, just roll forward and crunch your rib cage toward your pelvis. At the top of the movement, deliberately give an extra squeeze of the abs to achieve total contraction, then release and lower your shoulders back to the starting position. This is not a movememnt you do quickly. Do each rep deliberately and under control.
You can vary the angle of stress on your abdominals by raising your foot position. Instead of putting your legs across a bench, try lying on the floor and placing the soles of your feet against a wall at whatever height feels most comfortable.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:For upper abs and obliques
EXECUTION:
(1)Lie on your back on the floor, your legs across a bench in front of you.
(2)You can put your hands behind your neck and curn your trunk up toward your knees, rounding your back. As you do this, twist your torso so that your right elbow comes across toward your left knee. Release and lower your torse back to the starting position. Repeat, this time twisting in the opposite direction, bringing your left elbow toward your right knee. Continue to alternate, twisting in one direction and then the other throughout your set.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:Emphasizes lower abs
EXECUTION: This exercise is best done lying on a bench press bench that has a rack at one end.
(1)Lie on your back on a bench and reach up behind you to hold the rack for support. Bend your knees and bring them up as far toward your face as you can without lifting your pelvis off the bench.
(2)From this starting position, bring your knees up as close to your face as you can, rounding your back, with the glutes coming up off the bench and crunching up toward the rib cage. Hold for a moment at the top and deliberately squeeze the ab muscles for full contraction. Slowly lower your knees until your rear end comes to rest on the bench again. (Don't lower your legs any farther than this, you aren't doing leg raises.) Again, do this movement deliberately and under control rather than doing a lot of quick reps.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:Emphasizes lower abs
EXECUTION:This is another version of reverse crunches, only you do it hanging by your hands from a bar or resting on your forearms on a hanging leg raise bench instead of lying on a bench
(1)get into the hanging position and bring your knees up to the level of your abdomen.
(2)From this starting position, raise your knees up as far as possible toward your head, rounding your back and rolling yourself upward into a ball. At the top of the movement, hold and crunch the ab muscles together for full contraction, then lower your knees to the starting position with the knees pulled up. Again, don't lower your legs beyond this starting point.
A lot of people and most bodybuilders (because of the mas of their legs) can't really do hanging reverse crunches. An easier variation is to lie head upward on a slantboard. This gives you more resistance than reverse crunches on a flat bench, but you can dial in the amount of resistance you want by the angle at which you set the slantboard.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:Emphasizes lower abs
EXECUTION: This is a variation of Hanging Reverse Crunches
(1)Instead of hanging from a bar, position yourself on a vertical bench that allows you to support yourself on your elbows and forearms and bring your knees up to the level of your abdomen.
(2)From this starting position, raise your knees up as far as possible toward your head, rounding your back and rolling yourself upward into a ball. At the top of the movement, hold and crunch the ab muscles together for full contraction, then lower your knees to the starting position with the knees pulled up. Again, don't lower your legs beyond this starting point.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:For upper and lower abs
EXECUTION:
(1)Attach a rope to an overhead pulley. Kneel down and grasp the rope with both hands.
(2)Holding the rope in front of your forehead, bend and curl downward, rounding your back, bringing your head to your knees and feeling the abdominals crunch together. Hold the peak contraction at the bottom, then release and come back up to the starting position. Make sure the effort involved is made with the abs. Don't pull down with the arms.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:For upper and lower abs.
EXECUTION:A great many bodybuilders feel that machines are unneccessary when it comes to ab training, but others swear by some of the equipment currently available. In all cases, however, concentrade on feeling the rib cage squeeze together as the abdominals contract. If you can't achieve this feeling, the piece of equipment you are using may not be suited to your individual needs or body type at the current time.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:For upper and lower abs
EXECUTION:In all ab exercises the rib cage contracts toward the pelvis or the pelvis toward the rib cage--in this exercise, both of these things happen
(1)Sit crosswise on a bench, holding on to the sides for support. Raise your legs slightly and bend your knees and lean backward at about a 45-degree angle.
(2)Using a scissors movement (this exercise is sometimes called scissors crunches), curl your upper body toward your pelvis, rounding your back, and simultaneously lift your knees up toward your head. Feel the crunch as your rib cage and pelvis squeeze together. From this position, lower your torso and knees back to the starting position.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:Emphasizes lower abs
EXECUTION:
(1)Lie on your back on a flat bench, your rear end just at the end of the bench, put your hands under your glutes for support, and extend your legs straight out.
(2)Keeping your legs straight, raise them as high as you can, pause, then lower them until they are slightly below the level of the bench.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:Emphasizes loer abs
EXECUTION:
Lie on a bench in the same position as with flat bench leg raises. Bend your knees, then raise your legs as far as possible, pause at the top, then lower your legs agian, keeping them bent throughout the entire range of motion.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:Emphasizes lower abs
EXECUTION:
(1)Lie on your back on an inlcline board, head higher than your feet. Reach back and take hold of the top of the board or some other support.
(2)With your knees bent, raise your legs as high as you can, then lower them slowly, stopping just as your rear end touches the board. Exhale as you lift and inhale as you lower your legs. Bending your knees makes the movement a little easier and helps to increase your range of motion.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:Emphasizes lower abs
EXECUTION:
(1)Support yourself on your arms on a vertical bench.
(2)Holding your upper body steady, bend your knees and raise them up as high as you can, flexing your abs through the full range of the motion. Keeping your legs bent, lower them again to the starting position.
VARIATION:Any variation of an exercise forces the muscles to respond in new and different ways. When working the abdominals with vertical bench leg raises, try doing the movement using each leg alternately instead of simultaneously.
PURPOSE OF EXERCISE:Emphasizes lower abs
EXECUTION:
(1)Grasp an overhead bar and hang at arm's length.
(2)Keeping your legs fairly straight, raise them as high as you can, hold for a moment, then lower them under control back to the starting position. Keeping your legs straight adds to the resistance in thei exercise, which makes the movement more difficult.