Abdominal Exercises [flatten your abs]

There are literally hundreds of exercises you can do flatten your abs. The exercises selected should be dependent on your current physical ability, awareness, and condition. Out of all of the different muscle groups, abdominals have the biggest variety of exercises to choose from for good reasons. Its main function is to protect the body organs, spine, and pelvis and allow people to function at a higher level in their everyday life and getting better looking athletic physique.

I suggest you discuss beginning an abdominal exercise program with your physician or healthcare professional. Each exercise listed in this section has a purpose and develops muscular function throughout the entire body. Each exercise consists of photographs suggesting the proper form of an exercise, plus a written description of how the exercise to be done. Please read the entire description. Do not rely on the photographs alone.

When you are exercising at home, make sure that you can concentrate on what you're doing.When you look at the photos and try to emulate the exercises being depicted, attend to theform of the exercise being demonstrated, not the demonstrators performance of the exercise. If you cannot carry out an exercise with proper form, stop at that point.

4 Point Transverses Abdominis Vacuum


This exercise is great for isolating the transverse abdominal and reconnecting with the nervous system. To correctly accomplish the exercise get on all fours as though you were in a crawling position. Have your hands directly underneath your shoulders and your knees directly underneath your hips. With good neutral posture position (using a dowel rod placed on your back aligning the spine can provide good feedback of proper neutral posture) make sure the back of your head, thoracic spine (upper back) and sacrum (butt bone) are in contact with the rod. The lumbar spine should be arched just enough to slide the palm of your hand between your back and the dowel rode. Your primary objective is to inhale and allow the transverse abdominis to hang out towards the floor, on exhalation drawn the bellybutton towards the spine. Avoid any spinal movement during this exercise such as contracting the gluteus, hamstrings or external rotators.

Horse Stance Vertical


The first part of the horse stance series is Horse Stance Vertical, which will integrate the spine stabilizer muscles of your spinal column with the other muscles of the inner unit (inner unit will be explained in the next chapter). To accomplish this exercise again get on all fours with your hands directly underneath your shoulders with your elbow slightly bent. Your knees should be directly underneath your hips at a 90-degree Angle.

The exercise is then performed by raising your left hand and right knee approximately one cm off the ground (about the height of the piece of paper). Hold this position for 10 seconds and repeat with the right hand and left knee. Alternate back and forth until you have done the exercise for a total of two minutes. Make sure to not allow the hamstring to flex the lower legs toward the ceiling and that the pelvis does not load (shift) into the hip that is in contact with the ground. To assist you in this exercise use a kitchen timer and set it for two minutes.