Kenneth Gardner - THE FITNESS CLUB TONING YOUR abdominal muscles is good for your tummy as well as decreasing lower back pain. However, we will deal with lower back pain at another time. The six-pack abdomen and flat, well-toned abdomen of both men and women respectively are prized possessions, and why not?
If you got it, flaunt it, chances are you earned it one way or the other. If you had not used those muscles, you would have lost them. Why should we envy them anyway? We can also look as good or even better, so why not try it? Improving the cosmetics of your abdomen is much more than skin deep your improved posture can easily be seen. This is also very good for your spine.
Well-toned abdominal muscles are indicative of improved muscle strength as well as improved muscle endurance, improved physical work capacity, and prevent being easily fatigued. Weak abdominals also lead to tilting of the pelvis forward. This will place more stress on other postural muscles, causing early fatigue, which is no wonder so many of us find that we have
difficulty standing for any length of time.
By the way, standing has its advantages in strengthening your bones as well as improving your cardiovascular system, if there are no serious underlying heart or blood vessel problems. An efficient, yet simple and inexpensive way to test as well as to develop your abdominal muscle strength and endurance is to use the one-minute bent knee sit up test. Before you commence the test, you will need to do a
warm-up routine. This is the appetiser for the exercise that will follow. Warmed up muscles stretch much more easily and you are less likely to hurt yourself and less likely to feel sore after the exercise.
For the warm-up engage in two to five minutes of walking, slow jogging, do some arm circles, trunk bending at the waist, bend to the front, to the back and to the sides and some stretching as well when you bend.
BENT KNEE SIT UPS
1. To start lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, with the heels 12-18 inches from the buttocks.
2. Arms crossed flat on the chest with hands on opposite shoulders. Feet held firmly on the floor by a partner or some other support.
3. During sit-ups, maintain arm contact with chest and buttocks remaining on floor, no more than 18 inches from the heels.
4. In up position, the elbow and forearm touch the thigh without arm pulling away from the chest.
5. In the down position, the middle of the back must make contact with the floor.
6. The number of sit-ups performed correctly in 60 seconds is your score.
During your exercise routine, you can make the following changes according to the level of fitness you are in:
1. Knees bent at a 90-degree angle
2. Put your hands behind your head. If your abdominal muscles are not in good shape you can put your arms straight out in front of you and even pull on your knees if you need to.
3. Sit up by tightening your abdominal muscles, and touch your hands, elbows, or forehead to your knees.
4. Do as many repetitions as you can without stopping then rest for about 60 seconds.
5. Try the routine about three to four times.
EXERCISE 2
AB-CURL TWISTERS
1. Start in the same basic position as the sit-up, except that you should have your trunk two-thirds the way up toward your knees.
2. Turn your trunk to the left.
3. Turn your trunk to the right.
4. Keep turning your trunk to the left and then to the right for as many repetitions as you can, then rest about 60 seconds between rounds.
5. Try the routine about three to four times.
It is better if you make exercise a part of your daily routine, however if this is not possible, exercising three times each week for 30 minutes each session on alternate days is an acceptable minimum.
Kenneth Gardner, Exercise Physiologist at The G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport.
