What are abs and what are they for?

The abdominals are a set of muscles that are located in the central area of ​​the body and are the ones that condition most of our movements, therefore working on this part of the body can indirectly affect or improve the rest of the body. Exercising them properly can help prevent pain, injury, and various discomforts.

They are exercises where the muscles are isolated and at the same time unwanted actions of the hip flexor muscles can be eliminated. These can be worked in various ways, with stable or unstable support and also in suspension, with this the level of concentration and hardness of the same can be determined.

What is the function of the abdominals?

These are located in the abdomen, which is the part that is between the thorax and the pelvis, to function as support for the upper trunk, correspondingly maintain the internal organs within the abdominal cavity by means of the pressure that it exerts and also allow the correct movement of it, such as bending and turning from one side to the other.

The functioning of these muscles contains an authentic structure that acts on the weight of the trunk, so it provides great benefits such as those that we will mention below:

The abdominals improve the respiratory system

When we do abdominal exercises, we can expel all the air from the lungs and thus can help that when you go back in you have more space for them to fill with clean and purified air.

The abs give balance to the body

Working on this area significantly improves the control of body balance, this is because they are the support of our trunk and in case these muscles do not do it, another part of our anatomy will do so, such as the back and lumbar area, for example. which could be totally negative for this part of the body.

To find the balance, it is very important to do specific work, to avoid the problem of lordosis or scoliosis, to prevent that, daily walks on uneven surfaces are recommended.

The abs tone and strengthen the abdominal muscles

By working them regularly, you will allow the muscles of the abdomen to be firm, strong and more toned.

Sit-ups help improve posture

Strengthening the abdominal muscles improves back support, which in turn helps us to have a good posture. This can relieve or prevent chronic back pain and reduce weakness in the lower back. In addition, it favors making us look slimmer and with a much flatter abdomen.

The abdominals increases sports performance and reduces fatigue

These muscles have the function of producing more flexibility in the front and lateral trunk and an adequate rotation to the sides, which exercising them strengthens them, facilitates and provides many movements without the body feeling tired and can have more performance in routines of exercises and in daily activities.

The abs help protect the organs

A good muscular condition in this area serves as a shield and protective structure for all internal organs, which is totally fundamental, since there is no bone matter in this area and it is the part where the vast majority of vital organs are found. understands our organism.

Abs prevents sagging

We all want to show off a beautiful abdomen with an excellent aesthetic appearance. With these exercises you can combat the flaccidity caused by pregnancy, by the weakness of the tissues over the years and by losing many kilos in an abrupt way.

The abs fight inflammation

These exercises are used to purge excess fluid, fat, and toxins from the body. They help keep the intestines and stomach in good shape, which means that by having well-toned abdominal muscles, the intestinal system will work properly and prevent constipation from occurring.

Classification of abdominal exercises

Probably during the execution of your exercises, you have already done some of the ones that we will mention below:

Standard Crunches

They are the ones that work only in the abdominal area. To perform them, you must lie on your back, resting your feet on the ground and placing your knees bent. Another way can be by placing the legs elevated, stretched or resting on a bench.

With your hands behind your head, flex by pressing the stomach muscles as high as you can and keep your lower back supported on a mat, return to the starting position and repeat several times.

Push Crunches

Weight plates or dumbbells are used for these types of exercises. You should lie on your back on an incline on a sloping bench. To keep you from moving, lock your feet with the bottom pad and grab the dumbbells or discs.

Subsequently, with your arms extended to the sides, you should lean forward to lift your upper torso as high as you can, then return to the original position and repeat the procedure several times.

String or band crunches

By contracting the band, you will resist the contraction movement in this area. For this you will need to kneel under a pulley with a band or rope, hold it with both hands and pull down, behind the neck until the hands are close to the chin.

Then flex your hips and let all that weight straighten your back. Lean forward a bit so you can contract your muscles. Pull your elbows out and immobilize your hips so that they are always in tension.

Crunches with torso

With these exercises the oblique muscles are directly worked. To perform them you must lie on your back, bend your knees and put your feet on the ground.

Place your hands behind your head, then stand up as if you were doing standard sit-ups, but when you get to the top carefully turn your torso to the right, then lower and repeat, but to the left side.

Stability ball crunches

The execution of this exercise will allow you to activate the entire lower abdomen and will help the torso to become stronger, due to the activation of some muscle thickness. To perform them, you will have to sit on a ball, then walk forward so that it turns on your back.

Then bend your knees and hips, letting your shoulders and head hang, place your hands behind your hips and try to lean forward until you reach waist level. Don’t forget to keep your lower back against the ball.

Reverse crunches

These exercises achieve greater strength in the lower rectum of the abdomen, lie down with the arms and legs extended, place the palms of the hands on the floor, then raise the legs perpendicularly upwards. You should do your best to lower and raise the legs without flexing them and without touching the floor.

Muscles that make up the abdominals

It is important to know which are the muscles that comprise our abdominal group, among them are the anterior, lateral and posterior muscles, these are limited in the upper part by the diaphragm and in the lower part by the pelvic floor. Among these three groups we can get the following muscles:

External oblique or greater of the abdomen

It is located on the surfaces of the ribs, these intervene when lateral flexions of the trunk are made to the same side in a rotary manner. Both can intervene if you do trunk push-ups or pelvic lifts.

Internal or minor oblique of the abdomen

It is located below the external oblique, which always intervenes when we jointly flex and rotate the trunk to the same side. When doing push-ups frontally or in the case of a pelvic lift, both muscles will also be involved.

Pyramidal

It is a muscle that is found in the lower part of the abdominal area, between the linea alba and the pubis, in the front part of the rectum, its name corresponds to the triangular shape it has. It is important to note that it has no function and most people do not.

Transverse of the abdomen

It is in the lateral area of ​​the abdomen, but with more depth than the internal oblique, it intervenes when we rotate the trunk from one side or the other and when the 2 sides are contracted at the same time, it manages to favor the air exhalation process , in the same way they can stabilize the lower back.

Strengthening this muscle can improve performance in sports where short-term efforts are required.

Lumbar table

The function of this muscle, which is found in the lower part of the posterior-lateral region of the lumbar area, is to intervene when we do push-ups with the trunk from one side to the other and in case of abdominal pressure or when we exhale.

Rectus abdominis

It includes the entire central area of ​​the pubis to the lower area of ​​the rib cage, this is the area that for many has a great role, since it is where the texture of the famous squares that everyone wants to have is formed.

Its function is to maintain good posture and proper flexion of the spine. It also intervenes in correct breathing or defecation and in sports performance where we must run, jump or move and lift various objects.

Diaphragm

Its function is directly related to breathing and can work in conjunction with our abs.

Abs development conclusion

To conclude, it can be said that these muscles are very important in most sports training programs, since they can provide the body with a wide and better possibility of movements. They have the ability to ensure proper posture, so that you maintain an upright position and proper body alignment.

These muscles of the trunk can be classified as a natural girdle, because they represent the force center of the body and it is where all the energy is concentrated to be distributed towards the arms and legs in a corresponding way.

We hope that this information is very useful for your knowledge. Luck!