Monday, April 7, 2008

Working The Transverse Abdominals

Working transverse abdominal muscles is overlooked step in many abs workouts, however they help to strengthen and define your mid section. Transverse abdominals are a group of muscles that often gets neglected in stomach exercise routines.



Pelvic Tilts

Pelvic tilts are a common abdominal exercise. They are done on your hands and knees as if you were going to crawl. To start out, keep your back straight with your stomach pulled up. Next, slowly relax your lower back and allow your pelvis to tilt forward comfortably. Hold this position for a couple of seconds and then pull your back and pelvis into the straight position.

Crunchless Crunch

This one is a bit tricky. Begin by lieing on your stomach. You can also kneel, so try both ways to see which helps you feel the exercise better.

Relax your body as much as possible, and then try to use only the lower abdominals to move your belly button inward towards your spine. Hold this position for 10 seconds.

Scissor Kicks

Start by lying on your back with your arms by your sides and your palms facing down. Extend your legs fully with a slight bend in your knees. Lift your heels about 6 inches off the floor. Make small, rapid up and down scissor-like motions as you lift each leg to about 45 degrees into the air and lower your heel until it is about 2 - 3 inches off of the floor.