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Everybody wants etched abs. But to score your core takes more than a few sets of crunches at the end of your workout.
The two functions of the rectus abdominis are to curl your torso toward your pelvis and curl your hips toward your torso. That mean the bare minimum ab workout should be some type of leg raise/hip curl combo and a full-range crunch.
By full range, I mean that your lower back needs to arch. Flat-on-the-floor crunches don’t allow your rectus abdominis to prestretch, which limits the results of the exercise. You can either do crunches on a bench press bench, with your upper back hanging off the end, do crunches on the floor with a rolled towel or firm pillow under your lower back or use an Ab Bench, a machine with a rounded back pad (see page 93).
What about planks, the popular exercise that has you down in a pushup position but supporting your weight on your forearms instead of your hands? Those are great as a finisher, affecting stabilization and your transverse abdominis, the muscle that wraps your midsection, acting as a girdle. Training that muscle can help keep your waist smaller and tighter. But you need dynamic action too.
—Steve Holman
www.X-Rep.com
