The world loves a nice looking six-pack, formerly known as the washboard, or a woman with a flat stomach. Besides looking good, well-trained abs can reduce back injury and strain and they are important in power and high-mobility sports.

It seems like every magazine on health and beauty for men or women has an abdominal routine in it.Yet, some people believe they can never get a good-looking, mid section. I will discuss the reasons many are not getting that six pack and maybe not even a single "can." I will also touch upon some of the difficulties women may have in achieving world team "soccer-chick" thoracic contours and finally what it takes to get the proverbial keg back into a six-pack.

I have been fortunate enough to have a six-pack since Jr. High School, which is a little over 30 years. Gradually, I have lost two cans and it is partially due to my drinking can of a certain beverage and partially from a lack of consistency. Body fat and exercise frequency are two critical elements in having good-looking midsections. Keeping a low body fat is necessary because a layer fat can bury some quality contours. The problem faced by women and especially men is that fat will stay on longer in the abs than anywhere else. That is usually the first place it will go back on also. I am very sympathetic to the person trying to lose that last 15-20 pounds, or even 10-15 pounds.

The body has built-in survival mechanisms to resist the loss of that last bit. Women who have had children are up against the loss of elasticity and tone, not to mention those extra fat pounds that tend to creep on after the family addition. Try stuffing a bowling ball in your tight shirt for 9 months and see if it stretches right back into shape. Not quite. Women must try to work the lower abdominal region with special emphasis after giving birth. Many women need to understand and appreciate natural anatomical contours they possess prevent having a flat stomach but doesn't mean it can't be done.

It is important for pregnant women to continue some sort of abdominal training to reduce back problems, keep the integrity of the abdominal wall and ease child birth. The second factor, consistency, is a very difficult aspect to maintain but a critical part of the abs equation. The thoracic muscles are capable of quick recovery, and after a little conditioning, can and should be trained almost daily.

Abdominal Kinesiology: The Contraction and Movement Process

Lets look at the rectus abdominus, commonly known as abdominals, or abs and some of the surrounding musculature. First of all, it needs to be realized that the rectus abdominus is only one muscle that runs from a bone just below the chest down to the hip girdle. The internal and external obliques and serratus anterior, which form the outer borders of the abs, are often included in the abdominal group, thus the term "abdominals" was born. The only motion the rectus abdominus performs is curling the shoulder girdle or chest towards the pelvic girdle or hips. All the muscles in the mid-section have sheath-like architecture and will not get bulky. I remember being approached by someone who thought I would get "love handles" or little bulges on my sides by working my obliques out. Not going to happen, no how, no way. If you cut the RA out of the body you would see it curl up on the ends with bending occurring at the "tendonius intersection" or "can holders". Think of your abs a single lane of traffic with three stoplights. Every car must travel the whole length but it can get bunched up in a certain area when a stoplight hits red. When you do a certain exercise you must contract the whole abs, but you can selectively stress a certain portion of it. The typical sit-up with the feet supported is using a lot of the hip flexors and once the momentum is generated the abs don't need to do any contracting.

What Exercises and How Much Should You Do To Get The Rips?

I find the best technique incorporates four visualizations or actions: 1) visualize your abs tightening hard before you start to move. 2) Visualize pushing your lower back into the mat or floor. 3) visualize your head or shoulders moving toward your knees. 4) when working the sides- visualize bending at the bottom of the rib cage and turning your shoulders towards your bottom. There are three basic principles that should be followed when doing your mid-section. First, make sure that you go slow enough to maintain a high quality contraction. This usually means about 3-5 seconds and a rest of 1-2 seconds. You should not be able to do more than 25 repetitions. If you can you are not contracting hard enough. Second, you need to work four areas of the mid section with different exercises. These areas are the: a) upper and middle abdominal b) the lower abs c) the sides d) the lower back. Third, make sure you work the mid-section no less than 3 times a week, 2 sets per session. If you perform at least 10 minutes a day, 5 days a week, doing "quality" ab work, you will see results within 4 weeks or less.

Gadgets and Thingamabobs

There are a lot of different thingamabobs being created to help people get the abs of steel. I find most of them okay in that they probably help with motivation and reduce neck strain. After that, they are not much good. I don't find that I get a better workout using machines as I do without using them. Stick with the bottom line- you need to feel your abs contracting hard and until the point of failure or the point when you are unable to maintain good form. You need to work the sides to get a really nice looking torso and you will not reduce anything in the mid-section by doing sit-ups, crunches, or any of the gadgets. However, you can make the fat you have look better.

Here Are A Couple Of My Favorite Abdominal Exercises

 Top and Middle:

3-Stage Crunch: With the fee flat on the floor and spread pretty wide (wider than the shoulders) clasp the hands behind the middle of the neck. Use the visualization actions and come up 1/3rd and pause, again, and to the top and pause and back down (one!). Do 15-20 more Top (mainly):

Machine gun crunches:

As a burnout do these little crunches where only the head and neck come off the ground and you go back down. These are done very fast and you never pause to rest (about 2 per second). Do 20.

Lower region: Shoot-ups:

Lying on one's back, have the legs together and straight. Lower the legs to 30 degrees from vertical and bring back up and shoot the hips upward by contracting the lower abs. Try to shoot the hips up before the legs reach vertical.

Sides: Jack knife:

Laying on your sides with the hand of the arm on floor- touch your rib cage, and put the other hand behind your neck. You will now bend the knees and with the top knee, turn it toward the sky and try to join your top elbow to your top knee. Try to work the top portion of your body as much as possible. This is tough to learn, even with a personal trainer. There are many good ab exercises in various group settings too.

Mark P. Kelly has a doctorate in Exercise Physiology and Education Administration, he has specialties in kinesiology, exercise and nutritional biochemistry, weight management, and endurance athletic physiology. He was a nationally ranked duathlete, body building contest winner, trainer of professional athletes, and personal trainer for 20 years. He is a primary writer for the NFPT certification programs, a teacher in universities, and runs Principle Centered Health Human Performance Services, which specializes in assessments and corporate wellness. He can be reached at www.principlecenteredhealth.net or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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