The ultimate achievement of great body conditioning are etched abs--here's a better way to get there.
by Laura Dayton, CSCS, MS
www.LauraDayton.com
Since Hollywood moved in on the coastline of Southern California sunbathing became a status symbol of the rich and famous. Why, as a teenager I used put Wesson oil on my skin to intensify the sun. My theory was suffer the hottest four hours of the day, burn like the dickens, pour some vinegar on it and suffer 10 days of pain, peeling and itching, then your skin would be conditioned to begin serious tanning, at least three hours a day, three times a week.
Some scientists knew about UVA rays. UVB rays had not even been discovered. Of course, our ozone was thicker which may be the reason I don’t have malignant melanoma, yet.
Sunbathing without protection sounds about as silly as sex without precaution, and riding around with the kids and a dog in cars that didn’t have seatbelts, at all airbags.
We did a lot of stupid things before we knew better.
So why are we still anchoring our feet when we do situps?
The Old Way
We anchor our feet because of vanity; anyone can do an impressive number of situps with their feet secured. Most of the time, more is better so when this was discovered it was lauded as the most efficient way to train the abs. And oh that burn had ya’ screaming at the end of a 50 rep set!
I laugh at clients who are completely clueless about exercising body parts, but could write textbooks on ways to cheat. The reason is without understanding proper biomechanics and mental focus, the body will immediately go to the strongest muscles and easiest path to accomplish the task.
For instance, at the start of an old situp with feet anchored, the first movement comes from the momentum of starting the head moving with a snap, this also pushes the pelvis down and back, shortening the abdominals and starting the movement with momentum, not muscle contraction.
The abs are forced into an isometric contraction, that never fully contracts the abs under a load. Sure, the isometrics burn in the V-position, then the hip-flexors do the work of pulling the shoulders all the way to the knees. The body naturally lets the stronger muscles do the work. In shaping a body few of us care to have great hip flexors or a brachialis to die for. That is why understanding biomechanics and applying mental focus is the only way to truly shape the body, your way. It also helps to avoid muscle imbalance = injury.
The New and Improved Situp
To fully extend the abdominals your need some lift under your lower back. A couple of folded towels will do, but better still is Fred Koch’s AbMat. For maximum efficiency, any skeletal muscle exercise should start from maxium flexion to minimum flexion—the full range of motion. The low back must be arched to begin a situp so the abdominals are fully extended.
From this position place your hands between your knees. This will help you find the proper form. Concentrate on the origin of the abs at the bottom of the rib cage. Pull from low in your core, not from your head and shoulders.
Draw the navel in toward the spine and then up. Hold that position then start curling the spine. You may need to practice this range for a few weeks before moving toward a full situp with shoulders coming to your knees. Keep the movement low in the abs, as you reach the old crunch position. Now you’ll feel the pelvic area and internal obliques helping you finish the movement.
It takes bit of practice to get the technique down, but you’ll soon be seeing better results in 15-20 reps than you ever did at 5
This and more great info is in my newest book: WOW: Women Only Workouts. The only book you’ll ever need to incorporate resistance training into your routine.Go back to store to order.
