Strong and Functional Abs:
Strong and Functional Abs- At Home Edition.
Whether you are someone who occasionally trains or you are a fitness fanatic, there is one undeniable truth in fitness. A great set of abs is something we all want. Regardless if you are male or female, they look good on everyone. Bonus part besides the look is that abs can really contribute even to the strongest people in the world. They have many applications besides the looks. Abs support the trunk, and needless to say, having weak abs translates to having an overall weak body. This reason alone suffices for why we should train abs, in-home or at the gym.
Is it just about the looks?
The answer is definitely, no. Having a set of abs that look good is not a bad thing on its own. Functional purpose of keeping the trunk tight and able to exert pressure is something we all do. Not on the same level, of course. Lifting groceries and lifting massive deadlifts is a completely different thing. But, lift both of them with improper ab activation, and you will eventually go down the same path.
To make things clear, abs are really abdominal muscles. They consist of:
- External obliques: Torso support for twisting and turning
- Internal obliques: Work along with external obliques
- Rectus abdominis: Muscles which help with posture and breathing
- Transverse abdominis: Muscles that provide strength and stability to the torso
How abs work?
Imagine a building without walls. You would have a hard time doing that, because such school wouldn’t last long. Walls keep it together. That is the same case with our body. Abs are keeping us together from falling apart. Well, abs and glutes, to be more precise. Abs are just more used than glutes. Keeping us under pressure literally means that. Whether it is for large weights that are in progressive overload or in a relatively light program such as leg training, abs will always have their place. Disregard them and you will quickly see why.
Whatever we do as far as lifting or moving load, we are stabilizing ourselves. We don’t have to do this purposefully ( we can include really bad form, or be unaware of what we do) but we find that we are in much greater pain after such exhibits of bad form, even in the really light, repetitive loads.
Strong abs neutralize the spine in a better fashion, so we can exert more force with our limbs for a prolonged period of time. Not stabilizing and still doing anything remotely physical is like jumping out of a canoe. Don’t try this one at home.
Why do we need to focus the abs?
Having a set of strong abs is something that can’t be bad for you. We use our abs when we do the most casual lifts, or daily activities that are remotely physical. Abs work in an amazingly functional way with other body parts. When we brace properly with developed abs, there is little to none pressure we feel from almost any lift. Of course, if the weight is too much, that will still show. Any other weakness can be definitely cured with abs.
Good thing is that, since there are so many ab exercises, we have plenty of choice to train in various environments. Home being one of them. Multitude of techniques can be used to make even the simplest looking exercises menacing. We will show you how.
Ab training
Important notice about ab training can be easily said with one simple word. That is transition. Transition in this sense means that we should train the movements that have large carryover to other activities we do. Meaning, they should be synergistic with any other logical training program you do.
1. Holds
Picture shows one technique of training that includes bracing and isometric holds. Holding a position that includes abs will make you rethink the whole relativity theory. Try this one from the picture, and you will see why. Lay down on the yoga mat, twist from one side to the other while keeping your abs really tight. Make focused effort not to swing. Do 5 sets of 15 without added weight. This will work your external obliques.
Plank is another example. Lay down and take a position similar to push up. See how much you can be in this position, since it is not really for the faint hearted. Best done at the end of the training, or at the training where other holds are performed Another hold is the hollow body hold. Lay down and lift your legs slightly. Extend your arms and lift yourself just enough to contract your abs.
Holds like these will make your posture better, and provide better trunk stability once you get stronger at them.
2. Contractions
Contractions are the typical form of ab training that people do. Problem with contractions is that they can get really ugly really fast. You can tilt your head, or your back, to perform reps. This is not good. Not good at all. Best way to avoid this is to do exercises in which you simply can’t be doing this. Check these out.
You can’t go wrong with these. They will really strengthen your abs since the motion is far greater than in traditional crunches. Make sure you are controlling the movement, and perform 5 sets of 15 with these. For long-legged people who do these, do them with caution. They are really hard.
If you are really strong, you can lift your entire body from this position for the same sets and reps. So you would look like a candle at the end of the move.
Another variation is that you can do these from a pull up bar if you have one at your home. Perform them with tucked or extended legs, depending on your strength. Leg raises are extremely good since they stretch the abs really good at the end of the movement.
Mountain climbers is the name of our next move. Take the position of the pushup, and change legs in a manner that suits you. Make sure to contract your abs really hard. If you want a bigger challenge, switch legs faster. Do 3 sets of 10, depending on your cardio and strength.
3. Twisting
Bands can be really helpful with this one. Tie a band around something that won’t fly off. And twist with the entire body in conjunction with arms fully extended.
If you live in a bad neighborhood, you can also do these with one arm. Tuck the arm in a fighting position, twist to the side in which you tied the band, then perform the punch. Slowly and with control, as it should be. Change sides. These ones are really tricky, since men and women don’t use that much of the rotational power. Use them with caution.
A good tool to have in this case is the kettlebell. Take one, or any other relatively heavy object. Stand and contract the abs. And pass the kettlebell from one hand to another. This sounds easy when you hear it, but try it out and see if it really is. If it is, stand on one foot. Or take something heavier.