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Copyright © 1999 [Horizions].
All rights reserved.
Revised: January 19, 2001
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Major Muscles That Act On The Trunk
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MUSCLE |
ORIGIN |
INSERTION |
PRIMARY FUNCTION(S) |
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Rectus abdominis |
Pubic crest |
Cartilage of fifth through seventh ribs and xiphoid process |
Flexion and lateral flexion of trunk |
|
External oblique |
Anteriolateral borders of lower eight ribs |
Anterior half of ilium, pubic crest, and anterior fascia |
Lateral flexion of the trunk |
|
Internal oblique |
Iliac crest |
Cartilage of last three to four ribs |
Lateral flexion of the trunk |
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Transverse abdominis |
Iliac crest, lumbar fascia, and cartilages of last six ribs |
Xiphoid process of sternum, anterior fascia, and pubis |
Compresses abdomen |
|
Erector spinae |
Posterior iliac crest and sacrum |
Angles of ribs, transverse processes of all ribs |
Extension of trunk |
AB
EXERCISES
Parallel Bar Leg Raises
· These aren't as extreme as hanging from a chinup bar but more difficult than regular leg raises.
· With your elbows and forearm braced on the parallel bars to hold your weight, lift your legs straight up parallel with the floor, then lower them slowly.
Bent-Knee Leg Raises
· Same as above except with bent knees.
Crunches
· These are known to be very intense isolating movements for your abs. They equally distribute the stress from the top to the bottom of the adbominal wall. They place secondary emphasis on the intercostals.
· So, how do you properly do them? While lying on your back, either hold your legs at a 90 degree angle in the air with your lower legs parallel to the floor, or drape them over a bench or piece of furniture.
· With your fingers interlocked behind your neck, raise your shoulders and back off the floor, force your deltoids toward your legs, and pull your hips upward.
· Finally, exhale your breath. Hold the contraction for a moment, then slowly lower yourself down again.
Machine Crunches
· These stress the entire rectus abdominus wall to the max. The intense isolation works the intercostals as well.
· Adjust the seat height, so that your toes are comfortable beneath the restraint. Hold on to the upper body restraint(s).
· Now, with an appropriate weight chosen, crunch down and go to town. Be sure to keep your abdominal muscles stretched and go slow to really feel the burn.
Ab Roller Crunches
· Performed correctly, these machines can help you isolate the abs with minimal discomfort to the rest of your body.
List of
other ab exercises...
· Sit-Ups - They are the most basic and common adbominal exercise. Sit-ups work the entire rectus abdominus. You can perform them twisting to one side then the other to hit the obliques and intercostals. They can be performed on the floor or on an incline sit-up bench. With your feet hooked under the restraint and your fingers interlocked behind your neck, crunch your body together!
· Roman Chair Sit-Ups - These relatively new exercises are designed to isolate the entire abdominal wall, especially stressing the upper half. If done with a twist to one side or the other, these can really work the obliques and intercostals. Simply sit at the Roman chair, hooking your toes around the restraint bar. Cross your arms and crunch! Slow and deliberate motions will really get those abs burning.
· Leg Raises - These are fundamental for building ripped abs. Lie on an ab board or on the floor. Bend your legs at a 15-20 degree angle and crunch your legs toward your abs in a semicircular arc.
· Bench Leg Raises - These are just leg raises that are done with your hips at the end of a bench so that you can get a far better range of motion and intensely work your lower abdominals.
· Hanging Leg Raises - Quite a bit more intense than regular leg raises, these place stress on the entire abdominal wall, but primarily the lower half. Hanging from a chin-up bar with your legs bent at about 15-20 degrees, lift your legs until your feet are higher than your hips. Then, slowly lower your legs back down to starting position.
· Knee-Ups - These are to be performed on the end of a flat bench. Grasp the sides of the bench with your hands behind your hips and extend your legs with a 15-20 degree bend. Slowly bend your legs and bring your feet toward the bench, then extend them again.
· Hanging Frog Kicks - These are a more intense version of knee-ups. While hanging from a chinning bar with an overhand grip, move your knees up to your chest while bending your legs completely. Hold this position for a really great burn then slowly lower your legs back to the dangling position.
· Pulley Crunches - These are a really cool way to work your abs. They not only stress the rectus abdominus to the max, but they also involve some muscle tensing of the lats and serratus anterior muscles at your sides. Use the upper cable of a pulley machine with the rope handle attachment. While on your knees, grasp the ends of the rope with both hands and pull downward with your arms and abs until you touch the floor about 4 inches ahead of your forehead. Hold this position for a two count, then slowly raise back up so you can do it again! Remember to exhale during the contraction. You can do this exercise with one arm at a time or from side to side to involve the intercostals and obliques more.
· Side Bends - This is a great exercise to completely target your obliques. While standing, grasp a dumbell in one hand and allow it to hang at your sides. Put your other hand behind your neck. Let the dumbell pull that side of your body down as far as possible, bending only at the waist. Then use the obliques of the opposite side to pull your body back erect. About 30 reps on each side and you will be feeling it!
· Seated Twists - Ready to tone your transverse obliques under your regular obliques? These are the answer. Reportedly these can help trim the waist line and are a great warm up exercise. While seated straddling the middle of a flat bench, place an unweighted light bar or broom stick across your lats, behind your neck. Grasp the ends of the bar with your hands. Forcefully twist at your waist left to right in a rhythm...they get tiring!
· Standing Bent-Over Twists - These are very similar to seated twists except that instead of sitting, you are actually leaning forward twisting from side to side with your hands grasping the ends of the bar across your shoulders.