Every time I am at the gym, I hear people talking about “working their abs”.  For most, it is an afterthought:  “I am going to do some abs real quick, then I am done with my workout”.  For others, it is simply a placeholder between other primary exercises:  “Let’s do some abs in between sets”.  And, sadly for some, the “abs” are minimized to the point of simply doing 20 floor crunches.  But when it comes down to it, what really is in an “ab”?

The term “ab” comes from the more formal term of abdominals…just like our “ab” workouts, we know how to shorten and simplify everything!  However, there is much more to the abdominals than most people think.  Most people visualize the desirable “6-pack abs” as they are doing their 20 floor crunches.  But if that is all you are doing, keep dreaming, because that is the only way you will get that 6 pack!

The abdominal muscles are actually composed of 4 separate muscles:  the rectus abdominis, the external obliques, the internal obliques, and the transverse abdominis.  The rectus abdominis is the “6 pack” muscle.  It is the muscle that is usually the most visible and runs vertically in the midsection.  This muscle is split down the middle by a connective tissue called the linea alba.  These two sections of parallel running muscles are also split horizontally by fibrous bands called tendinous inscriptions.   All of these divisions in the rectus abdominis give it the “6 pack” look.  However, your ability to actually achieve a 6 pack has a lot to do with heredity too – so hopefully you have good genes!  There are many important functions of the rectus abdominis muscle.  First, it aids in maintaining proper posture and it also plays an important role in breathing, especially if you become short of breath.  This muscle also helps by keeping your internal organs intact by creating intra-abdominal pressure during events such as heavy lifting exercises or even childbirth!  During exercise, the main function of this muscle is to flex…or bend… the spine.  Since the rectus abdominis muscle is a long, thin muscle, it can be best exercised by targeting the “upper” section and the “lower” section of the muscle with different exercises.  The upper section is best worked by any exercise that flexes the upper spine forward by bringing your shoulders towards your hips.  The traditional abdominal crunch is a great example of an exercise that targets the upper abs (and only the upper abs).  The lower section of the rectus abdominis muscle is targeted by any exercise in which the lower spine is flexed by bringing your knees towards your chest.  A reverse crunch or hanging knee raises are great examples of exercises that specifically target this region.  As you can see the rectus abdominis does provide important functions and it is also the muscles that can give us that toned look in our midsection….but if you stop there, you are neglecting 75% of your “abs”!

Next we will talk about the external and internal obliques. The internal oblique is a slightly “deeper” muscle, lying just underneath the external oblique.  These muscles are on either side of the rectus abdominis and are sometimes affectionately called the “love handles”. But aside from that important function, the internal and external obliques actually do provide an essential role.  First, they aid in breathing by being an “opponent” to the diaphragm.  All this means is that when the internal obliques contract they compress the organs of the abdomen, pushing them up into the diaphragm, producing an exhalation. The other main functions of the obliques are to help flex the spine laterally and provide rotational movement of the trunk.  The obliques are best targeted by any exercise that requires a side bending and/or a rotational movement of the trunk.  Examples of exercises that produce these movements and strengthen the obliques are oblique crunches, crossover crunches, or standing medicine ball rotations.

Now that we have talked about 75% of the abdominal muscles…the rectus abdominis, the internal obliques and the external obliques…we are ready to discuss the final part of your “abs”.  And as the old saying goes, I saved the best for last!  The final abdominal muscle is the transverse abdominis.  I feel that this muscle is the most important – but most neglected – part of your abs.  The transverse abdominis is the deepest of your ab muscles and basically runs horizontally underneath your internal obliques and inserts into the linea alba (remember, part of the rectus abdominis).  This muscle is extremely important because it helps to stabilize the spine and it also aids with inhalation since it is also connected to the diaphragm.  This muscle is somewhat hard to target, which is why most people tend to neglect this important muscle.  It is best trained by doing any exercise that flexes the transverse ab by contracting (pulling in) your abs to support your pelvis and spine.  This contraction is most easily visualized by thinking about pulling your belly button towards your spine.  Think of your transverse abs as a built in weight-lifting belt!  When you perform any heavy lifting exercises, the transverse abs engage to help support the spine.  In fact, strong transverse abs can help to reduce the amount of vertical pressure placed on your spine by as much as 40% when performing heavy lifting activities. This muscle has another important function of “pulling in” the entire abdomen.  Training the rectus abdominis (6 pack muscle) alone will not give the belly a “flat” look.  However, training the transverse abs can help flatten the midsection and basically “pull” all of the other abdominal muscles in!  Exercising this muscle can be tricky, but the traditional plank exercise is probably the best at targeting these deep muscles.  Additionally, any other exercise you do can help indirectly strengthen the transverse ab muscles.  Whether you are training your upper or lower body, imagine drawing your belly button towards your spine…it will not only enforce great posture during the exercise, but it will also strengthen those deep transverse abdominal muscles!

As you can see, there is more to the “abs” than one might think.  A good abdominal program would specifically target each of these 4 muscles, as they all provide essential functions for movement and overall health!