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Where The Heck Are My Abs?

By Brad Scott

Six-pack abs are great in theory, but not a very practical solutions most people. I often get inquiries about what exercises will can slim down the abdominal section or get you ripped. The truth is, developing a "six-pack" takes a lot of time and effort, and if you have a career and family I'm sure your priorities are elsewhere.

However, what is easily within your grasp is having a well-toned and flat mid-section. But before I talk about how to achieve a slim and sexy core, I want to first cover what your core is and why it is so important.

So let's start with the anatomy. Your core is much more than simply your abdominal muscles. Your core involves 5 major muscle groups: rectus abdominals, transverse abdominals, internal obliques, external obliques and the erector spinae. The rectus abdominals are the muscles in the front of the body and the muscles which make up the six-pack. Contrary to belief, there are no upper and lower abdominals. It is the same muscle from top to bottom and is the main muscle used to flex the body forward. The transverse abdominals run across the body (left and right) with the main function of holding your organs in place. The internal obliques run top to bottom on each side of the body and flex the torso to the left and right. The external obliques run from the side of the body to the center and twist the torso. The erector spinae are the group of muscles in the back which extend the body straight up from a flexed position.

Now all of this may be a little much to take in, but those are the muscles of the core. And as you can see, it is more complex than most people realize. But in order to have a strong, slim and sexy core all of these muscles must be strengthened and exercised.

Much more important than the appearance of the core is the function of the core. There are very few movements you can make that do not involve the core. If you divided your body into a top and bottom have, the only thing connecting the two halves would be your spine and your core. The only other part of the body that is similar to this structure is your neck. Would you allow fat to grow on your neck so much so that you walked around with your head tipped forward all the time. Then why do you disrespect your body's core so much. When the core muscles are imbalanced, the spine is stressed which typically causes back pain. And although the pain is felt in our backs, the cause it typically weak abdominals. The younger you are the more you can compensate by leaning back which overworks the erector spinae. But as you grow older, the overworked muscles become fatigued and start to fail and atrophy.

So, if you develop a core training program with the two major issues in mind, your will love the results.
  1. A core that is aesthetically pleasing.
  2. A core the functionally strong.
A good core training program combines nutrition and exercise. Nutrition feeds the muscles and reduces the fat. Exercise strengthens the muscles and reduces the fat. Nutrition must be a daily habit and eating right does not have to be hard.

About the Author:

Brad Scott is Owner and President of Sport and Life Fitness in Melbourne Florida. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and is a Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist in Sports Conditioning with the International Sports Sciences Association. With over 20 years of experience, Brad offers a wide variety of fitness solutions for most anyone. Visit him online at www.SportAndLifeFitness.com today and start your fitness journey.