Training The Abdominals

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Training the Abdominals
by Lou Barrie | Date Released : 16 Mar 2001

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SPECIAL NOTE: The

Author
following article was submitted by Lou Barrie a couple of
weeks before he passed away on March 3, 2001. Though he
Keywords never had a chance to send the photos for the article, we
felt the piece stood well on it’s own as a ne example of
Lou’s work, and his descriptions go a long way to making up
for the lack of pictorial imagery… As he would have wished,
we hope you gain a lot from the article.
"All I want is a Six Pack!" It is almost a standard request to a

personal trainer from a prospective or current client.
There’s no getting away from it; we are literally obsessed
with our physical appearance and no body part (other than
maybe the butt) has perfection wished upon it more often
or receives more speci c work and attention than the
abdominals!
http://www.ptonthenet.com/articles/Training-the-Abdominals-1071 1/15
This is not necessarily a bad thing, provided that the

cosmetic enhancements come along with improved health
and functional bene t. Nor is it a surprise! The abdominals
are the centerpiece of the body and one's eyes are
automatically drawn to that area, so it stands to reason that
we would want them to look good.
From a functional perspective, a great set of abdominals are

the key to optimal performance in a multitude of exercises
and activities as well as being a major key in the prevention
of back injuries and pain!
However, a great looking set of abdominals will not

necessarily be functionally effective.
The goal of working this muscle group (and any other)

should be to get the ultimate in both cosmetic development
and functional value.
We must also be very careful about subscribing to a myth

that none of us really believe in (or shouldn’t): spot
reduction! "I would never be guilty of promoting that!" I
hear you say? Think again! How many times has a client
told you that he wants to lose fat off his waist/hip and/or
wants lots of abdominal/thigh work for the same purpose?
How many times have you responded by giving him what he
asks for and usually at every single session with high
repetitions and multiple reps? For what purpose is the
A.B.T. (Abs, Butt & Thigh) class promoted other than to
support the ridiculous notion that spot reduction is
possible? How many gyms provide such classes and direct
"appropriate" clients to participate? If you fall into any of
these categories, then by association you are indeed guilty!
To achieve the ultimate in abdominal development in both

function and form in minimum time, the trainer must
approach the task from three directions, targeting three
speci c factors:
1. The deep abdominal and spinal stabilizers used in

everyday activity
2. The external (visible) spinal exors

3. What you or the client eats
In short, this article is not about diet, but let me say this: if
you insist on shovelling in copious amounts of starchy
carbohydrates, then the majority of you should forget about
ever making signi cant visual acquaintance with your "six
pack" no matter how hard you work ‘em. This statement is a
whole other article that needs to be addressed separately.
So, in reality, we are only addressing factors 1 and 2.
Factor 1 – Deep Abdominals and

Spinal Stabilizers
I’ll keep this simple. This group of muscles generally act in
an involuntary fashion. They are skeletal muscles, and we
do have the ability to voluntarily contract them, but they
are most active in a stabilizing role, reacting to shifts in the
body’s centre of gravity in relation to its base of support as
well as altered pressure on joints. In short, these factors are
known as "tilt and equilibrium reactions" and
"proprioception."
Training for these skills is a cinch. Basically, you just have

to perform free standing, resistance training exercises
or, for that matter, any activity that has you moving in
multiple directions (i.e., aerobic classes) possibly except
swimming. Why not swimming? In the water, you are

supported partially in three dimensions, gravity exerts less
effect, creating less need for these particular muscles to be
active to support the skeleton and another factor may be
that eccentric resistance is all but absent in water. (I am not
saying that swimming is a redundant health pursuit. I am
simply saying that it is not productive in developing the
core stability and joint proprioception required for life
outside of water!)
Free weight, resistance training exercises (including cables

and pulleys) will generally require good levels of activation
of the deep core and abdominal muscles and are most
effective for the development of the same. Following these
simple tips during workouts can enhance this:
1. Replace benches and seats with a Swiss Ball.
2. Train the body unilaterally (one side at a time) without

hanging on to something.
3. Maintain perfect posture – don’t let the weight dictate

your position.
4. Activate deep abdominals by pulling in the stomach.
5. Don’t use a weight-training belt.
6. Reduce your base of support (stand on one foot) during

upper body exercises.
One of the added bene ts of training this way is a

signi cant increase in calorie expenditure! By bringing
multiple deep stabilizers, proprioceptors and other
extraneous muscle groups into play, the amount of energy
required to perform the exercise is signi cantly increased.
The increased innervation of the nervous system results in
a hormonal situation that is highly favourable to fat
metabolism. The functional/real life value of the exercise is
greatly enhanced as well as a much improved injury
prevention ability, not to mention that the resultant fat loss

will serve to make your abs more visible. The time taken for
the session is the same, but the calorie usage is greater!
Whichever way you look at it, you can’t lose!
Factor 2 - External Spinal Flexors

This group of muscles simply consists of the Rectus
Abdominus and the External Obliques. As with all muscles
in the body, they act in an integrated way with numerous
other muscle groups to perform a particular movement: in
this case, spinal exion, rotation and lateral exion.
Movements to work this area should consist of variants of
these movements.
It is unwise (if not impossible) to try and isolate these

muscles for three reasons:
1. Muscle isolation does not happen in real life and is

rarely necessary in training.
2. Greater loads and/or intensity can be applied to a

"group" of muscles as opposed to a muscle working
autonomously (resulting in the hormonal situation
mentioned above).
3. Functional integration and "real life carry over"
inevitably results in greater training effects in energy
expenditure, strength development, injury prevention
capabilities and inevitably far better cosmetic results.
Factors that one should consider implementing are:
1. Train the muscle(s) through as full a range of

movement as safely and as practically as possible.
2. Utilize resistance from weights, cables and even

machines.
3. Train to at least concentric failure and, if possible,

eccentric failure on working sets.
4. Keep repetition rage below 15-20.
5. Perform multiple movement patterns, even within the

same set.
6. Limit the use of " xed path of resistance" machines.
7. Vary the exercises, resistance and repetition range

from session to session.
8. Keep working sets and exercises to no more than two

of each.
9. Train this muscle group 1 – 2 X per week, program
it like any other body part and always train it last in
the session.
Technical Issue
Past, and even in some quarters, current teaching criteria
would indicate that during crunch type exercises, the lower
back must remain in contact with the oor. This is incorrect
and dysfunctional from the point of view that if the spine
remains at on the oor, it stands to reason that the spine
remains in exion – not even approaching neutral
curvature. The lumbar spine is not naturally at! It has (or
should have) a lordotic (concave) curve in it!
If this is considered, then the muscle that exes the spine

will remain in a contracted/shortened state with the spine
staying in exion through the exercise. The target muscle
will not be worked in anything approaching full ROM. This
then poses two issues that need to be carefully considered.
1. The muscle is only being worked through partial ROM

and is likely to only be strong through the range that it
is worked! Considering the target muscle in this case is
the Rectus Abdominus and it is a "back up" muscle to
the Transverse Abdominus (TA) in preventing the
spine going into forced, passive extension! (It
inevitably takes over that role when the TA ‘lets go’ –
generally in extension beyond neutral). Should it not
be trained in the ranges that it might be required, then

it is unlikely to be much use when it is actually needed
for the task.
2. Working the abdominals with the spine maintained
at on the ground and the head/neck continuously
protracted is simply promoting and developing a
kyphotic (round shouldered) head forward posture! An
unacceptable amount of individuals in modern society
already suffer chronically from this condition - the last
thing we should be doing is promoting and developing
it! Especially in the highly repetitive manner that
happens in "Exercise to Music" classes. We are just
enforcing an already deeply established bad habit and
making it worse!
The Exercises
The numbers of exercises available to you for this muscle
group are immense. It would be impossible for me to list
and describe even half of them here. So, I have selected my
top 5 "Ab Killer" exercises and described them, along with
photographs for your perusal and subsequent trialing.
Before embarking on the description of the exercises, I

should probably enlighten you on some of the terminology
I’ll use to describe some exercises.
Folded Mat refers to a plain old "sit up" mat with

(surprise, surprise) a variable number of folds placed in
it to adjust the dif culty of the exercise. The folds are
about the same width as the distance between the base
of the scapula and the base of the spine. The client lies
supine across the folds making sure they are centred
between the scapula and the base of the spine. This is
done, as the name of the exercise describes, to extend
the range of motion in the crunch and is a great
alternative and variation to using a Swiss Ball or
DuraDisk. The more folds you put in the mat, then the
greater the ROM and the dif culty of the exercise. Just
make sure of two things: 1) That the clients’ hips and
shoulders can touch the ground at either side of the
folds and 2) that extended ROM of the spine is not

going to aggravate any pre-existing conditions.
DuraDisk is a 30cm diameter in atable disk with a

very high burst rating. It can be in ated or de ated to
varying degrees. Greater in ation generally will mean
less stability, greater ROM (in abdominal exercises)
and a higher degree of dif culty. Same two precautions
as for the Folded Mat apply. (Available from AOK
Health in Australia – bradley@aokealth.com.au &
www.aokhealth.com.au)
Bench (applies in Extended Crunch only) refers to

lying supine on a standard gym bench with the upper
torso, down to the base of the shoulder blades,
positioned just off the end of the bench and the feet
anchored or held by the trainer. Again, this is used to
increase the effective ROM. But I strongly suggest
caution and control in this variation and application to
advanced level clients only.
1. Extended Range Balance Crunch – (Ball,

DuraDisk or Folded Mat)
To do this properly requires a high degree of skill,
abdominal strength and control. I will describe to you the
advanced version and then give you some interim
techniques to assist you in getting there.
For the "full" version, a 4–5 Folded Mat or DuraDisk is

required. Start position is with the mat or disk placed at a
"balance" point between the hips and shoulder
blades. Thighs should be in the vertical aspect, the knees
bent and the ankles crossed. The hands should be
positioned at the temples.
Begin the movement by simultaneously lifting the hips and

the shoulders off the ground until the abs are fully
contracted and you are "balanced" on the mat/disc. The
return to the start position should be a controlled and
simultaneous descent of the hip and shoulders, both

coming into contact with the ground at the same time.
It is unlikely you will ever need resistance for this exercise,

and if you can make 10 repetitions unassisted (especially on
the disk), you are exceptional.
Slightly easier variations would include placing the heels on

a bench (you can lie across a Swiss Ball for this version) or
in the hands of the trainer to allow some purchase through
the heels or have a trainer assist your balance. Some
adjustment of the placement of the mat/disk may be
required to nd the individual point of balance.
2. Swiss Ball Reverse Crunch

Place a large (65cm+) Swiss Ball up against a machine with
2 upright posts (be sure to protect the ball from any sharp
edges). Lie against the ball at angle of 45 degrees to the
posts and grip them with both hands. Lift the legs until the
thighs are at 90 degrees to the torso; this is the starting
position. Perform the movement by exing the spine and
drawing the pelvis up off the ball to full spinal exion then
return to the start position.
Resistance, such as a dumbell between the feet, a cable

or a rubber band may be added.
Movement at the hip joint should be kept to a
minimum.
An easier variation could be done by placing a DuraDisk or

Folded Mat under the Lumbar spine while lying on an
incline abdominal bench or even while at on the oor.
3. Weight Resisted Extended Crunch – (Ball,

DuraDisk, Folded Mat or Bench)
Lie supine across a DuraDisk, Folded mat, Swiss Ball or with

the upper torso hanging off the end of a bench (see
instructions for correct performance of this particular
version earlier in the article). Hold a weight plate on the
chest or forehead or set up with cables or elastics. Make
sure that the neck is in extension and that the head is
supported on the Ball or ground (dependent on the
exercise) prior to the commencement of each repetition.
Begin the movement by exing the neck rst and then allow
spinal exion to occur sequentially to the point where the
ribs and pelvis are as close together as possible. At this
point the spinal exors have reached their point of full
contraction and to continue beyond this will inevitably
engage the hip exors. This is acceptable and even quite
functional as it is rare that spinal exion will happen
without some hip exion in real life, so it may improve the
functional bene t of the exercise to perform the full sit up.
However, if you are using a weight plate, be advised that
resistance to the target muscle groups is reduced as the
plate travels closer to and above the hip joint. This
shortcoming is eliminated if cables or elastics are used
instead of or in conjunction with the weight.
Functionality and effectiveness can be increased by

reaching out behind with the arms at the point of full
extension and by pulling them in as the client comes up.
This exercise can be made easier by using less folds in the

mat, less air in the DuraDisk or bringing the client further
forward on the ball.
4. Bench Kneeling Cable Crunch

This is probably my favorite abdominal exercise. I see many
people performing versions of this but very few get it right.
Start position requires you to kneel on a at bench that has

been pushed up in front of a Lat Pulldown machine or
overhead pulley with a rope attachment. Tuck the toes over
the end of the bench for grip, maintain a right angle at both
hip and knee throughout the movement and have the spine
in the position of full extension. Hold the rope in your
hands and rest the forehead on the thumbs.
Select a weight that is heavy enough to support you

comfortably in the start position. If it is too light, you will
nd yourself falling face rst onto the bench. The exercise
seems to be more effective if you are back from, rather than
directly underneath, the pulley wheel. A 20kg disk placed
between the bench and the machine will give the desired
result.
While maintaining hip and knee angles, begin the

movement by contracting the abdominals and exing the
spine. Imagine yourself curling around a pole directly under
your abdomen. Return to the start position under strict
control. (A tip here for greater effectiveness is to "suck in"
the stomach hard during the eccentric phase – it seems to
increase the workload on the abs.) Remember that the
exercise is spinal exion not hip exion – keep the hip joint
stationary!
Adding a twist (right elbow to left knee) into this movement

(and the others described previously) gives a good
functional variation.
5. Dumbell Bent Press

This is an exercise from the distant past of weight lifting
and was a competitive lift way back in the 1800s. It may
seem like a strange exercise to do for the abdominals –
until the morning after the session and your obliques feel
like they are on re!
Hold a dumbell in one hand at the shoulder (same as a

press), in the upright position, feet slightly wider than hip
width. This is the start position. Perform the
movement, not by pressing up the dumbell but by pushing
and rotating the body away from it. Imagine that you are
attempting to pick up a weight off the oor and between
your feet with your free hand (which is in fact an
exercise/lift known as "Two Hands Anyhow").
While keeping the dumbell at arms length, return to the

upright position and then lower the dumbell to the
shoulder to begin the next repetition.
A oor pulley system can be used to provide variety for this

exercise.
Conclusion
Effective training of these muscles should be no different to
the training philosophy applied to other muscle groups.
The emphasis should be placed on avoiding homeostasis!
That basically means that a muscle or muscle group will
cease to respond favourably in strength, size or appearance
if the necessity to adapt to the particular stress diminishes.
Simply increasing the load or volume of work is rarely
enough! The body will adapt to a "movement pattern" very
quickly and become very ef cient at performing it, even
with increased loads.
Increased ef ciency, while in some instances we desire it, in

this case is not a desirable outcome. Ef ciency means that
we are using less effort to complete the exercise. It means
there is less neurological recruitment of muscle bres, and

it basically means we are not going to reap the same
bene ts from the exercise as we were prior to the
adaptation taking place. Remember the great improvements
that you made as a beginner? These improvements were
simply adaptation. Once adaptation took place,
improvements diminished. Simply put, we must continually
prevent our body from becoming too familiar with any one
particular exercise. This factor alone may be the prime
determining factor in "plateauing."
"IF NOTHING CHANGES, THEN

NOTHING WILL CHANGE"
Chronic use of the same movement pattern, especially with
" xed path of resistance machines" will also induce a
phenomenon known as pattern overload and slow down
progress even quicker. These machines should be used
sparingly.
In short, I am basically saying that it is more favourable to

vary the exercises for any muscle group on a session-to-
session basis rather than follow them religiously for
extended periods of time.
References
1. Pattern Overload Part 1 & Part 2 by Paul Chek.
Personal Training on the Net. Online.
September 2000.
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Lou Barrie
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: LOU BARRIE
Lou Barrie spent 22 years in the tness industry.

He was an ex Air Force Physical Training
Instructor, an International Presenter for
Network, ASIAFIT & Network NZ and Editorial
Staff Member & Regular Contributor for Network
Personal Tr...
Full Author Details
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11/29/2018 Training the Abdominals | Article | PTontheNet

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by Lou Barrie | Date Released : 16 Mar 2001

SPECIAL NOTE: The

"All I want is a Six Pack!" It is almost a standard request to a

This is not necessarily a bad thing, provided that the

From a functional perspective, a great set of abdominals are

However, a great looking set of abdominals will not

The goal of working this muscle group (and any other)

We must also be very careful about subscribing to a myth

To achieve the ultimate in abdominal development in both

1. The deep abdominal and spinal stabilizers used in

2. The external (visible) spinal exors

So, in reality, we are only addressing factors 1 and 2.

Factor 1 – Deep Abdominals and

Training for these skills is a cinch. Basically, you just have

swimming. Why not swimming? In the water, you are

Free weight, resistance training exercises (including cables

1. Replace benches and seats with a Swiss Ball.

2. Train the body unilaterally (one side at a time) without

3. Maintain perfect posture – don’t let the weight dictate

5. Don’t use a weight-training belt.

6. Reduce your base of support (stand on one foot) during

One of the added bene ts of training this way is a

prevention ability, not to mention that the resultant fat loss

Factor 2 - External Spinal Flexors

It is unwise (if not impossible) to try and isolate these

1. Muscle isolation does not happen in real life and is

2. Greater loads and/or intensity can be applied to a

Factors that one should consider implementing are:

1. Train the muscle(s) through as full a range of

2. Utilize resistance from weights, cables and even

3. Train to at least concentric failure and, if possible,

4. Keep repetition rage below 15-20.

5. Perform multiple movement patterns, even within the

6. Limit the use of " xed path of resistance" machines.

7. Vary the exercises, resistance and repetition range

8. Keep working sets and exercises to no more than two

If this is considered, then the muscle that exes the spine

1. The muscle is only being worked through partial ROM

be trained in the ranges that it might be required, then

Before embarking on the description of the exercises, I

Folded Mat refers to a plain old "sit up" mat with

folds and 2) that extended ROM of the spine is not

DuraDisk is a 30cm diameter in atable disk with a

Bench (applies in Extended Crunch only) refers to

1. Extended Range Balance Crunch – (Ball,

For the "full" version, a 4–5 Folded Mat or DuraDisk is

Begin the movement by simultaneously lifting the hips and

simultaneous descent of the hip and shoulders, both

It is unlikely you will ever need resistance for this exercise,

Slightly easier variations would include placing the heels on

2. Swiss Ball Reverse Crunch

Resistance, such as a dumbell between the feet, a cable

An easier variation could be done by placing a DuraDisk or

3. Weight Resisted Extended Crunch – (Ball,

Lie supine across a DuraDisk, Folded mat, Swiss Ball or with

Functionality and effectiveness can be increased by

This exercise can be made easier by using less folds in the

4. Bench Kneeling Cable Crunch

Start position requires you to kneel on a at bench that has