#AB CRUNCH MACHINE SETS AND REPS TRIAL#
One trial found that the old-school curlup worked the upper portion of the muscle to a greater degree, and the posterior pelvic tilt (basically a reverse crunch, in which the tailbone is tucked under, lifting the pelvis toward the upper body) favored the lower abs-just as the bodybuilders have claimed for years. Still, other research has shown the opposite. Scientists and some trainers, however, have disputed this, arguing that, since there’s only one rectus abdominis muscle and its function is pretty simple, any movement that brings the ribs and pelvis closer together is going to work the whole muscle.Ī study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research measured rectus abdominis activation across six different ab exercises, concluding that, while some of the moves worked the muscle more than others, none showed much of a difference in which part of the abs (upper or lower) was activated. (For all his gargantuan muscles, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s abs were always comparatively less impressive he famously sported only a four pack!) How Is Working Your Lower Abs Different From Upper Abs?īodybuilders have long believed that exercises that bring the ribs toward the pelvis (crunch variations, for example) work the upper portion of the rectus abdominis, while movements that do the reverse-lifting the pelvis toward the ribs-train the lower portion. Whether someone has a six pack or an eight pack comes down to genetics alone-it’s the way nature shaped their abs-and has nothing to do with training or diet. The six-pack look is due to a web of connective tissue that compartmentalizes the muscle. When an individual is very lean with well-developed musculature, the rectus abdominis can appear to be six distinct muscles, but it’s only one. It works to bend the lumbar spine forward (spinal flexion), pull the rib cage down, and help stabilize the pelvis when you’re walking. The rectus abdominis originates on the pubic bone and stretches up to the xiphoid process (the bottom of the sternum), as well as the cartilage between the fifth, sixth, and seventh ribs. But when most people say abs, they mean the rectus abdominis, more popularly known as the six-pack muscle. The term “abs” can refer to all the muscles of the midsection, ranging from the deep core muscles that stabilize your spine to the obliques on the side of your torso that help you twist your shoulders and hips and bend to each side. Consider the following your tome on ab training. What’s the whole truth, bottom line, and final answer on abs? We’re about to clear up all the misconceptions. These range from, “You have to do 100 crunches a day,” to “ab work isn’t necessary at all you can see the muscles by simply dieting off the fat that covers them.” You’ve been told you should treat your midsection like two different muscles, doing “upper-ab exercises,” and then a different set of movements to develop the lower part, and heard elsewhere that situp and crunch motions will hurt your lower back, so don’t do them at all anymore. By now, you’ve probably heard enough conflicting opinions about ab training to give you a stomach ache.
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