I'll bet that your decision to start an abdominal workout was motivated by that amazing vision of yourself with a trim and tight midsection proudly displaying your wonderfully sculpted abs in a way that makes you feel great. The question is how do sculpt your abdominal muscles to look like that?
Unlike the bicep or pectoral muscles that you can see, abdominal muscles are mostly internal. There are 4 anterior abdominal muscles, 2 of which are visible and 4 posterior abdominal muscles, all of which are internal (posterior not described in this article). If you're unaware of this you could be working your abdominal program looking for results that you will never see. For this reason a basic understanding of abdominal anatomy will go a long way to achieving the results you want.
First are the two abdominal muscles you can see in that healthier version of your self and they are the Rectus Abdominus and the External Obliques. The Rectus Abdominus is the sought after six pack muscle. These run vertically along your abdominal area and are involved in increasing or decreasing the space between your rib cage and your pelvis. The External Obliques are attached at the back of your ribs, running diagonally across your sides to the front of your pelvis and are involved in sideways bending and rotating. Working these two groups will help you in sculpting your vision but you will need to develop your abdominal core as well in order to support your spine and lower back.
The other two in the anterior abdominal group are the Internal Obliques and the Transversus Abdominus, which you can't see because they are located behind the first two. The Internal Obliques perform the dual function of assisting in the twisting motion as well as supporting the spine. The Transversus Abdominus is the primary muscle used in stabilizing your lower back during movements. It is also the key muscle in creating a trim and tight abdominal area.
Take a moment now to gently twist and contract your abdomen and imagine each of these muscles working collectively to give you a smooth movement. Being aware of which abdominal muscles you are using when you're exercising will go a long way in helping you gauge your results. Be sure to pace your self as you start exercising because you want to gain the trust of your body before you start asking it to do more intense exercises.
For more information on starting an exercise program and to download some free exercises you can start using today to create that wonderful vision of yourself, read 14 do's and don'ts for beginners
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