Whether you're an athlete or not, training one's lower abdominal muscles is a very important part of an exercise regime. Training in this area is extremely important for core stability and assists in the prevention of back injuries. The two areas of interest are the rectus abdominus and the transverse abdominus muscles.
Exercising the lower ab muscles is not one of the easiest exercises to do correctly, many people unknowingly cheating and using their hip flexors and lower back muscles whilst doing crunches and the like. The cheating is not intentional, but it takes a lot of control and focus to perform these exercises correctly. The crunch and sit up are considered the standard exercise for a lower ab workout, but there are other exercises which are much more effective.
When I discovered the plank exercise I didn't believe how effective it actually was. To assume the position you first lay face down on the floor then bring your elbows into contact with the floor under your shoulders with your arms facing forward. You then use your stomach muscles to lift your body off the floor while keeping your toes in contact with the ground. It's kind of like a push-up position but with your elbow's on the ground instead of your hands. You maintain this position for a few seconds or as long as is comfortable. Relax, take a breather, and repeat. I tend to maintain the front plank position for around 30 seconds, I then change to a side plank for a further 30 seconds, return to the front plank, and into the side plank on the opposite side.
The side plank is pretty similar to the front plank. Lie on your side with your upper body raised off the ground resting on your elbow which is underneath your shoulder. Then raise your torso off the ground keeping just your elbow and forearm and side of your foot in contact with the ground. Try to keep your body in a nice straight line, twisted and contorted bodies are prone to injury.
If you can practice these plank exercises every day for a few weeks you'll notice a remarkable difference in what you can actually achieve time wise, and you will feel your abs strengthening. If whilst in the plank position you can safely raise one hand and feel your abdominal muscles, you'll notice how tight they are and how hard they're working to keep you raised off the ground.
As you get better and better at these exercises there are some variations you can implement. From the front plank position try lifting one set of toes off the ground. Or raise one arm out in front of you. As you get better you can try lifting alternative arm and leg off the ground, so you are supporting your body on just one elbow and one set of toes. This brings in a whole range of stabilising muscles which provides a better workout.
I hope this introduction to the plank exercises has been of interest to you. When I discovered them I was amazed how such a simple exercise could produce such results, and I find them far more effective and far less uncomfortable and potentially damaging as sit ups and crunches, which work well if done correctly, but for many people they fail to perform the exercises properly, and as fatigue sets in they lose their good form. Give the planks a go. You won't be disappointed.
Author Resource:
Steve enjoys writing on health and fitness subjects, and has been training for a number of years. He has a great website helping people find the best Ab exercises that work and also a site which looks at music accessories like MP3 Player Speaker products.
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