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The Abs have it!
by Bert Sorin on 7/26/1999.
The more I train and the more I learn, the more I realize the importance of the supporting muscles of the trunk area. The trunk area is comprised of the abdominals, obliques, back erectors/extensors and in some cases, the hip flexors. Years ago I would only consider ab work to be something to be tackled a month or two before you go to the beach, if at all. These sentiments are felt by many power lifters and athletes these days, but for all intents and purposes, are counter- productive. Trunk work is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! In order to capitalize on the potential of your leg/hip strength, you must have a strong, sturdy lever to work with (i.e. the trunk area). You see, you can only be as strong as your weakest link. If your trunk cannot stay tight and rigid, it is acting as a shock absorber to your legs, thus, breaking the essential medium for force production. Example- If your back and abs cannot support 600 pounds and stay tight with it, you will NEVER be able to squat it while staying injury free, no matter how strong your legs may be! So, by working the support muscles in the torso, you make your strength potential much more obtainable, while adding to your athletisism due to the increase in body awareness and balance. I do some sort of trunk work each day I lift, due to the nature of my sport (hammer throw). Some of the exercises I do are: plate twists, hanging knee-ups, v-ups, leg scissors, leg-toss, reverse-hypers, back extensions, russian twists, side bends, leg soops with weight, static crunches, crunches with weight, medicine ball work, and kettle-bell throws. These are just a few of the good ones out there. I generally do 2-3 exercises out of this group per day with 10-30 reps of each. Us big guys might not get a set of six-pack abs over-night, but it is certain to make your lifts and throws increase and injuries decrease. Next, I will discuss how to incorperate a Sissel or "Swiss" ball!
by Bert Sorin on 7/26/1999.
The more I train and the more I learn, the more I realize the importance of the supporting muscles of the trunk area. The trunk area is comprised of the abdominals, obliques, back erectors/extensors and in some cases, the hip flexors. Years ago I would only consider ab work to be something to be tackled a month or two before you go to the beach, if at all. These sentiments are felt by many power lifters and athletes these days, but for all intents and purposes, are counter- productive. Trunk work is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! In order to capitalize on the potential of your leg/hip strength, you must have a strong, sturdy lever to work with (i.e. the trunk area). You see, you can only be as strong as your weakest link. If your trunk cannot stay tight and rigid, it is acting as a shock absorber to your legs, thus, breaking the essential medium for force production. Example- If your back and abs cannot support 600 pounds and stay tight with it, you will NEVER be able to squat it while staying injury free, no matter how strong your legs may be! So, by working the support muscles in the torso, you make your strength potential much more obtainable, while adding to your athletisism due to the increase in body awareness and balance. I do some sort of trunk work each day I lift, due to the nature of my sport (hammer throw). Some of the exercises I do are: plate twists, hanging knee-ups, v-ups, leg scissors, leg-toss, reverse-hypers, back extensions, russian twists, side bends, leg soops with weight, static crunches, crunches with weight, medicine ball work, and kettle-bell throws. These are just a few of the good ones out there. I generally do 2-3 exercises out of this group per day with 10-30 reps of each. Us big guys might not get a set of six-pack abs over-night, but it is certain to make your lifts and throws increase and injuries decrease. Next, I will discuss how to incorperate a Sissel or "Swiss" ball!
