In some of my previous articles, I've written about why you
need to change your ab programs frequently to avoid muscle
adaptation, repetitive pattern overload injury, muscle
imbalance and of course, boredom!. But those aren't the
only reasons you need exercise variety.
The functions of the abdominal and core muscles are so
numerous, so varied and so complex, that entire textbooks
have been written on functional anatomy and kinesiology
without even scratching the surface.
What this means to you is that since there are more actions
and functions of the abs and core than any other body part,
there are more possible exercises you can do for abs and
core than for any other body part.
With literally hundreds of ab and core exercises to choose
from, the irony is that most people are STILL doing
workouts that revolve around only a few exercises such as
crunches, sit ups, leg raises and maybe some ab machines...
This is what I call "training in only one dimension"... and
that can spell "trouble"
One dimensional training leads not just to progress
plateaus and muscle adaptation, but also failure to engage
all the functions of the core region, to strengthen
thoroughly in every plane of movement, or to develop the
proper neurological link to the muscle.
The end result is muscle weakness, muscle imbalances,
injuries, a distended lower abdominal area and or and a not
so impressive midsection.
A proper program progression allows you to train every
muscle in your core region in every "dimension." These
dimensions include:
Flexion, Extension, Stabilization, Rotation, Side flexion,
Prone, Supine, Seated, Standing, Quadruped, Stable, Unstable
One way to enter a whole new "dimension" of abdominal
training is to start using a Swiss ball - also known as a
stability ball because a ball is an unstable surface.
Training on an unstable surface flips the switch on your
nervous system and activates stabilizing muscles that are
weak in most people due to sitting at a desk all day long
and or doing too much machine training.
I realize if you're not familiar with Swiss ball and core
training, that some of these exercises may look unusual or
even "weird" at first.
You might look at the pictures and say, "David, it looks to
me more like "rolling around on a beach ball than training."
Yup... that's what a lot of people said... until they tried
them and their abs started showing for the first time!
By expanding your arsenal of ab and core exercises and
working them in every capacity and function for which they
were designed, you will...
* Increase your strength
* Decrease the odds of ever having back pain
* Improve sports performance
* Avoid plateaus and muscle adaptation...
And maybe best of all..
* Get an impressive "six pack"
----------------------------------------------------
David Grisaffi is a Sports Conditioning Coach and holds
multiple certifications including three from the
prestigious CHEK Institute. Plus he is also the author of
the popular selling e book, "Firm and Flatten Your Abs,"
which teaches you how to develop a ripped abdominal region.
Lean how to shed body fat and eliminate low back pain and
receive his free newsletter by visiting:
http://www.flattenyourabs.net
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