With beach weather fast approaching and an ever-growing focus on the importance of exercise, people everywhere are making concerted efforts to look their best in the shortest possible amount of time. The abdominals ("abs" for short) is one area most of us want to improve. Whether you want a rippling six-pack, to look good in a bathing suit, or just want to tone up, everyone seems to be striving for that tapered mid-section. But we get mixed messages from all directions about which ab workout/trend is best and many people are left bewildered as to which avenue is the most effective to achieve their goals. This article will help set the record straight and explain the main principles of an effective abdominal program to get you looking and feeling great! 

There is No Quick Fix


Weight loss and exercise fads are more popular than ever, despite some ridiculous trends that have come and gone. We've all seen the electrical muscle stimulation unit you apply to your stomach that will supposedly work out for you while you sit on the couch and eat potato chips.  As you may guess, there is no evidence that this unit alone will improve your abs significantly.  If this really worked, the world would have caught on by now and we all would have amazing abs.  What about high speed fat burners and metabolism supplements? Clinical research on these products is still limited, as well as the research regarding any possible adverse effects they may cause. If they do work, they certainly do not develop muscle as their advertisement photos may lead you to believe.

Slow and Steady wins the Race


Unfortunately, without the quick fix, we are left with diet and exercise, the only proven methods for significant results.  It is important to understand that not everyone will be able to achieve washboard abs due to genetic factors and individual metabolic differences.  However, by having realistic expectations and with consistent hard work, you will see noticeable gains toward your goals in a matter of weeks. 

If you are also looking for a cosmetically appealing mid section (which most of us are), cardiovascular exercise and diet are going to be key components to adding muscle definition (Having good ab development will be limited visually if the muscles are hidden underneath layers of fat).  Some form of moderate cardiovascular exercise 3 times a week for at least 20-30 minutes is needed to significantly burn fat. In addition, a sensible diet should be undertaken.  If you have specific dietary needs or issues, consult a dietician prior to planning your diet.

Anatomy Overview


When most people refer to their ab muscles, they think of "six pack" muscles down the center of the midsection. They are actually one of three groups of the abdominal muscles. Those cube-like six-pack muscles are technically known as the rectus abdominis. The second group are the obliques (which reside in the "love-handle" region), and the third lesser known group is the transversus abdominis, which lies deep to the other muscles and has a critical role in stability of the lumbar spine.  So keep in mind that a good abdominal exercise program will address not only the more cosmetic outer muscles, but will strengthen your spine stabilizers to help reduce the risk of back injury.

Taking the Right Steps


The first and most important step in working toward your goals is making sure you are medically cleared for these types of strengthening activities. You want to be sure that you don't have any existing cardiac or orthopedic (back problems, etc.) problems. Either issue can be checked out by a physician, or a physical therapist is also a good resource for helping individuals with back problems find appropriate exercises.

Once you are OK medically, the next step is to decide on specific goals for your unique body type. A workout for a college age male striving for a six-pack will differ from that of a 40 year-old mother of two looking to simply tone up the midsection. Like any other muscle group, to develop optimally, the abdominals need a recuperation period in between workouts. Therefore, three times per week is a good frequency to begin with and initially, performing no more than one exercise for each major section of the abdominals. 

Building Block Movements


The following are two critical movement components which can be applied to the vast majority of abdominal exercises in order to optimally strengthen your core.

1.  Pelvic tilt- Lie on your back on a flat surface, knees bent, feet on the floor. Tense abdominals by pressing the small of the back into floor to flatten the natural curve in the low back. If you have trouble performing this, place hand under the curve in the lumbar spine to feel your back pressing into it. The buttocks should not lift off the floor. Hold contraction for 3 seconds and release. Perform ten times or until you feel confident with the movement.
Note: Do not hold your breath while contracting- increased blood pressure may occur.

2.  Pelvic Tilt Plus- - This is basically a more complete contraction of the abdominal muscles which targets the hard-to-reach transversus abdominis. Start out by performing a pelvic tilt. Now draw navel toward the floor by pulling lower abdomen inwards. You should feel a stronger, deeper contraction. Hold for 5 seconds and perform 10 times or until you are comfortable with it.  This is NOT performed by breathing in, in fact, you should be able breathe normally while maintaining this contraction.
Note: Do not hold your breath while contracting- increased blood pressure may occur.

Putting it all Together


Once you have mastered the pelvic tilt separately, then tackle the pelvic tilt plus. Don't forget to breathe. From here, you can progress to abdominal exercises that you may be more familiar with, but start with the pelvic tilt plus and maintain it while performing the exercise.  By holding the tilt with exercises such as crunches, you will find them much more challenging and effective. You may find you are unable to perform as many repetitions as you have in the past, but this is expected.

Begin with no more than 3 exercises, and make sure you can complete at least 2 sets of 10 repetitions correctly before progressing your routine.  Increase your intensity slowly- start by adding more repetitions of your current exercises before you start adding more challenging moves.  

Tips


1.  Holding the tilt while performing exercises is challenging, if you can crank out 50-100 repetitions, you are probably doing something wrong.
2.  Pain DOES NOT equal gain- if it hurts (muscle soreness is OK, pain is not), stop the exercise and seek appropriate medical attention. 
3.  As you become stronger, you can add more repetitions and more challenging exercises. A physical therapist or certified personal or athletic trainer can provide you with dynamic and challenging new movements.