First things first, the muscles that make-up the Abdominals are: External Obliques, Internal Obliques, Rectus Abdominis, Transversus Abdominis, Pyramidalis, and Quadratus Lumborum.
The point of this hour is to focus entirely on how to increase the abdominal's strength and endurance. I've blocked the hour into two separate parts, a 30 min. warm up period and a 30 min. endurance period*. For each move, 3 sets, 10 reps, and at the end of each set, hold contraction for 15-30 seconds.
BRIDGE
I ran around the track a few times (10 minutes) before going to the gym today. The first few minutes of this exercise was spent to prepare for a neutral spine position to be sustained throughout the hour.
The "Bridge" (Green, pp.102) position engages the transverse abdominal muscles which helps to stabilize the torso. This move can also be performed on the side, or with elbows straight up off the floor. Turn it into a balance exercise by extending the right arm out in front of body overhead and extending the left leg off of the ground, switch from left to right. I held a bridge for 60 seconds.
PART I (warm up period)
UPPER/LOWER
For this position remember to press the lower back into the ground, making sure that the pelvis is tucked while engaged in movement. The crunch (Green, pp.114,122) position can target both upper and lower abs. In the contraction remember to press lower back into floor, tuck pelvis, and lift shoulders off the floor and move rib cage towards pelvis.
OBLIQUES
In this exercise (Green, pp.92), I brought in a basic crunch while extending the legs out and keeping lower back pressed into to the floor while the knee in towards the torso while extending the other leg straight out. Alternating the left shoulder to the right knee or vice versa will target obliques. about 25 per minute.
RECTUS ABDOMINIS
Movement of the legs back up and down to the floor, while pressing the lower back into ground, engages the entire center of the abdominals. I also tried to "scissor" the legs up and down, which made me feel like I was able to target the obliques as they lie beside the rectus abdominis. I held my legs up (Green, pp.121) for 1 minute. There were also a few sets where, I would bring my legs up, and raise my hips off of the floor, or bench, toward rib cage for an added hold to the contraction.
PART II (endurance period)
RESISTANCE
All I did was work on the mat for the first 30 mins, and then repeated the mat work in the remaining time with one difference: I added weight (Green, pp.84).
LOWER BACK
used back incline, leaned foreward as well as side to side. (1 minute=25 reps). I added a 5lb weight, once my body adapts to that weight, I switch to an 8 lb medicine ball.
Upper/Lower, Obliques, Rectus Abdominis=repeated all moves on the incline bench with 8lb medicine ball.
SPINAL ERECTORS
5 minutes of dead lifts/squats with 8 lb med ball overhead, side by side, or arms extended outward.
*goal for next time: to burn 4,000 calories throughout next week -- and to repeat what I did here today, only more. to be more organized about timing myself and taking note of how many reps I could do within the designated time.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Green, Jodie. "Mens Health: Amazing ABS". Special Printing, USA: Rodale, 2006.
2. Class textbook.
3. Golding, Lawrence A. and Golding, Scott M. "Fitness Professional's Guide to Musculoskeletal Anatomy and Human Movement". Canada: Healthy Learning, 2003.
