The Science Behind Great Abdominals

If you had a penny for every advertisement promising great abdominals, you would be very wealthy indeed. In fact, you would never have to worry about your abdominal muscles because you could literally pay another person to worry about them for you. But until that day comes, attainment of toned abdominal muscle remains a goal for many as a sign of youth, vitality, and sexuality.

The Role of Cortisol

'Men's Fitness', inundated with pleas from readers, decided to set the record straight about the complex but manageable process behind obtaining the coveted six-pack. First and most importantly, they decry any notions of quick fixes. Rather, the article notes that it takes dedication, time and a sensible diet of nourishing food, as well as the right exercises following a precise methodology.

Bodybuilding is a combination of weight loss and muscle development; however, to actually see the muscle definition, the overlying fat must first be eliminated. The best way to accomplish this objective is not only by consuming fewer calories than are required by the body, but also through a workout that involves the entire body, not simply the midriff. It is also imperative not lift weights or perform a strenuous workout every day. Another rule of thumb is to limit workouts to an hour or less.

Over an hour into a heavy workout of weightlifting, the body begins to secrete cortisol, the so-called ‘stress hormone'. Cortisol is the hormone that causes the fight or flight reflex; however, an influx of excessive cortisol causes the body to begin to break down muscles.

What About Crunches?

Crunches, although excellent for toning muscles in the abdominal region, in and of themselves burn few calories. According to a study at the University of Virginia, one would have to do 250,000 crunches simply to burn just one pound of fat.

Fat is burned when a hormone called epinephrine is secreted into the body. A specific type of fat, triglycerides, are burned by an enzyme called lipase. Lipase ceases to be active when a person sits, as discovered in a recent medical study ('Sitting time and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer' (Katzmarzyk, P.T., et al.; 2009)). Interestingly, crunches and sit-ups are traditionally performed in a seated position.

Core Fitness

The abdominal muscles comprise a portion of an area termed by trainers as 'the core', which stretches from shoulders to hips. To tone abs with traditional abdominal exercises, a better option would be to target the entire core by performing crunches or sit-ups on an exercise ball (sometimes called a Swiss ball) to force the body to balance the muscles while performing the exercises, thus burning more calories and toning the wider muscle group including the abdominals. Additionally, such exercises should ideally be accompanied by lower back exercises to reduce the chance of injury caused by the all too common strong abdominal and weak back muscles.

Naturally, all these exercises will be for naught if a healthy diet is not followed. Bodybuilders tend to eat vast quantities of protein for the simple reason that protein helps to build muscle. However, it is essential to understand that not all forms of protein are equally healthy or beneficial for the body: unprocessed lean proteins, high-quality protein powders or meal replacement powders are key. The equation is simple, though substantial discipline is required to follow through: the right protein and the right exercises lead to award-winning abdominals.

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The Importance of Rotational Power

Rotational Power

Part of achieving a perfect balance in terms of physical strength and health is the aspect of training your core muscles to be as strong and flexible as possible. The core muscles are the muscles of your trunk, which not only protect the spine but also directly affect the power and flexibility of every other muscle in your body. Core muscles are fundamental for the balance of power, as well as for the overall balance of the body. This is why cross training is considered to be such an important aspect of every athlete’s workout routine, regardless of their chosen sport. If you ever look at a cyclist, for example, they have a toned core and upper body. This is because their core muscles directly contribute to their degree of control over their posture, as well as control over the bike itself. In addition, runners will have a strong core and upper body because posture and strength of the core directly relates to the efficiency of the body in burning energy.

Every athlete relies upon his core rotational muscles to perform activities, regardless of the given sport. Discus throwers rely on their rotational muscles. Formula One race drivers rely on their core muscles. Runners, cyclists, swimmers, footballers, basketball players, they all rely on core rotational strength to perform their tasks. Any sort of turning, throwing, kicking, or hitting relies upon the core muscles of the body, and it is crucial for these areas to be as strong as possible to maximize the transference of power from the rotational muscles to the limbs that are being used for the sport. For example, a tennis serve relies upon not only the strength of the forearm and shoulders, but since the shoulders connect to the core muscles, that serve directly relies upon the ability of the athlete in question to draw upon the hidden force stored away in his or her rotational core.

The Basics

It is often assumed by individuals that any athlete traveling at a great speed in a straight line will be able to perform at the same level of speed in any direction. This is a false assumption. If an athlete lacks rotational power to make snap changes in direction, he will no longer be moving at peak speeds or performing at optimal performance levels. For example, a study published in the September 1997 issue of the Sport Med Journal looked at 36 different male athletes who were tested on a 30m straight sprint, but then given six changes of direction tests, with the latter involving two to five tangent runs at various angles. The tests took place both before and after a six-week training period. What the researchers discovered was that straight-line sprint training improved the performance of straight-line sprinting, but the increased speed did nothing for their ability to make dramatic turns. In fact, the research showed that the more complex the change of direction, the less transference of energy occurred. Meanwhile, the change of direction training which focused upon strengthening the core rotational muscles gave a boost to those athletes who had practiced, with no impact whatsoever on their speed. This research supports the manner in which coaches in sports such as tennis and football train their athletes by requiring them to perform a variety of rotating exercises to increase the strength of their core, because being fast in a straight line is not sufficient to win.

Developing greater strength through resistance training is considered a fundamental aspect of any training regimen, with every performer factoring it into their conditioning routines. Strength directly results in higher levels of performance in sports or competitions, but incorporating rotational exercises into a routine can sometimes be a bit challenging as most popular sports conditioning exercises rely purely upon weight training, which fails to reflect the power generated by rotational sports movements. For example, performing a squat has little to do with hitting a tennis ball, throwing the football, or sinking a basket from the three-point line.

One sport that relies primarily upon rotational strength is baseball. The strength of an athlete's core directly affects how hard they can hit a ball, and research has shown that developing the required muscles for the sport is impossible through weight training alone, so the question raised is: which resistance training methods are best employed to enhance the rotational power of an individual's core?

The Training

According to former world javelin record holder Tom Petranoff, under-speed training is key to rotational power development. “The key to any training is to train smart, to train slow, and get the technique correct before you add more weight for resistance.” This principal is something that is used more commonly in Europe than in America, with many European trainers believing that it is crucial for the technique to be mastered before any additional resistance is added. When studying a golf swing, it is obvious how important this principal becomes, because even if one has exceptionally strong shoulders and forearms to drive the ball down the range, if the necessary core strength is lacking, it will be difficult if not impossible to propel the ball in a smooth, controlled application of power. Either the ball will be wildly off the mark, or it will be under hit, thus not travel as far as should be the case.

Resistance exercises and plyometric drills are considered to be one of the easiest ways to increase rotational strength. Simple exercises such twisting with a medicine ball can help. Using a small medicine ball placed between your legs, hold your arms out at shoulder height, then began making small hops while rotating your knees to each side to land at an angle, alternating left to right. The greater the angle of rotation, the more stress is placed upon the oblique muscles, thus strengthening these key core muscles. There are a variety of exercises to increase the rotational core, discussed in various articles and resources on this site.

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