Let's Talk About Your Abdomen

Many mistakenly believe that by twisting and lifting their legs indefinitely, they will get a flat stomach.

Usually, the hard work on the abdomen results in the appearance of pain in the lumbar region, the preservation of the effect of the accentuated belly, the dilation of the waist, and only slight relief. Let's start over.

Anatomy of the right muscle of the abdomen

The right muscle of the abdomen is a long muscle with longitudinal fibers, which begins in the metal stern and rib cartilage and is fixed to the pubic symphysis.

It is divided in half by the white line of the abdomen, with special connective tissue. If the fat layer is missing, then the long-awaited relief is formed, which is formed after the implantation of the tendons in the right muscle.

The right muscle always contracts completely. Therefore, the expression "we train the upper abdomen" is meaningless.

The lower abdomen is usually less developed than the upper two for two reasons:

● There are fewer nerve endings in the upper abdomen, so it shrinks less intensely.

● Genetically accumulated fat in the lower abdomen.

The function of the right muscle is to bend the spine, that is, to bring the upper body closer to the pelvis or vice versa, the pelvis to the top of the torso. Therefore, working on the right muscle is ineffective in obtaining a raised abdomen.

Yes, twists are welcome. They increase the volume of the right muscle and slightly intensify the burning of fat locally, and this leads to the profiling of the relief. But first, the twists and turns must be done correctly. Second, they do not affect the abdomen.

Error no. 1 Excessive lifting during twists

During twists on the back, the right abdominal muscle dominates until you lift only the upper back. As soon as you start lifting your ribs from the back, middle back, and lumbar region, take over the process of the thigh flexor group and the lumbar muscle.

Error no. 2 Pressing the lumbar area on the floor while lifting the legs

Most of those who train, while lifting their legs, move the pelvis back, pressing the lumbar area into the floor. Technically, these are also "leg raises", but in this position, the movement takes place at the expense of bending the lumbar area, but not the thighs. This increases the load on the intervertebral discs, overloads the lumbar muscle, and too little the abdominal muscles.

Error no. 3 Excessive lifting of the lumbar area while lowering the legs

When you lower your legs, the lumbar area rises above the floor above its neutral position. The neutral position is when the pubis and ilium are parallel to the surface on which you are lying. This movement overloads the hip flexors and iliolumbar muscles, which "kills" your back faster than it will thin your waist.

Error no. 4 Holding your breath

Any movement of the abdomen should be performed during exhalation, pulling the navel toward the spine.

Exaggerating the importance of twists is the main mistake in chasing an embossed abdomen.

Disadvantages of twists:

● actively involves the lumbar area and the iliolumbar muscles, which are fixed to the 12th thoracic vertebra, as well as to each of the 5 lumbar vertebrae, passing through the abdominal region and pelvis, finally attaching to the up the femur,

● forms a compression of all lumbar vertebrae,

● does not affect the volume of the waist or the relief of the abdomen.

The firm abdomen involves working on the transverse abdominal muscle!

Abdominal transverse muscle anatomy

The transverse muscle of the abdomen is the deepest muscular layer of the abdomen. It surrounds the entire area between the ribs and the pelvis, from the spine to the "white line" of the abdomen.

If the skeleton had no muscles except the transverse muscle of the abdomen, then the body could not make any movement. Everything that happens with his contraction and relaxation leads to a thinning of his waist and his return to normal.

The transverse muscle will not meet the movement of the ribs. It has a stabilizing function!

The fibers of the transverse muscle are oriented "horizontally". When the muscle contracts, it forms a ring around the waist. Therefore, by strengthening the transverse muscle, we get a thinner waist, and the abdomen does not stand out!