Working the very lower ab muscles, below your bellybutton...

[Gladiola]

lower abs = myth

Indeed... that rectus abdominus (6-pk) is *one* long muscle.

American Council on Exercise did a big study on what works abs best.. captains chair came up pretty high, as did the good old classic crunch & the bicycle maneuver.

 

[the People's Champ]

what is the captain's chair?

 

[Johnny Auto Parts]

BigNate, Belial, and MrMuscle.....what do you guys do for abs?....and what do you mean by full range crunches as opposed to situps?

 

[toga22]

um, aren't the abs all one muscle? just genetics I think.

Most abdominal exercises are divided into "lower" or "upper" ab exercises. There aren't two seperate muscles that you can isolate. Rather the exercises work the whole abdominal wall. However there are clusters of muscles which are separated by connective tissue. These so call clusters make up the "washboard" or "six pack" that many aim for. You can focus on the upper clusters by moving just your torso.....and the lower clusters by moving your pelvis.

It is recommended that you should exercise the lower abs before the upper abs and do any twisting movements, which exercise the obliques, first.

 

[Belial]

BigNate, Belial, and MrMuscle.....what do you guys do for abs?....and what do you mean by full range crunches as opposed to situps?

Hanging leg raises (off a chin up bar), Decline weighted crunches with a 110, and side bends.

 

[MarshallPenniford]

Most abdominal exercises are divided into "lower" or "upper" ab exercises. There aren't two seperate muscles that you can isolate. Rather the exercises work the whole abdominal wall. However there are clusters of muscles which are separated by connective tissue. These so call clusters make up the "washboard" or "six pack" that many aim for. You can focus on the upper clusters by moving just your torso.....and the lower clusters by moving your pelvis.

There aren't two seperate muscles, yet there are clusters of muscles? Do you realize that you are contradicting yourself?

 

[Belial]

Single motor unit. So no, she's not contradicting herself.

 

[MarshallPenniford]

Well, if it's a cluster of muscles (plural). Then that implies there are at the very least two muscles. My understanding is that rectus abdominus is one muscle. Seems like a contradiction to me.

 

[Belial]

The rectus abdominus is a single muscle. However, looking at the muscle itself, it's crossed by fibrous bands that help it maintain its shape. This does NOT mean different parts of the muscle contract differently. It's purely a structural (Not a mechanical) feature.

 

[MrMuscle]

BigNate, Belial, and MrMuscle.....what do you guys do for abs?....and what do you mean by full range crunches as opposed to situps?

i do hanging leg raises supersetted with knee raises on a bench. then i do side crunches, twists and finally crunches