News

This month’s muscle of the month is ABDOMINALS!

The abdominals are more commonly know as the stomach muscles.

The trunk/mid section is made up of deep and superficial muscles. The Transversus Abdominus are the deepest of all the abdominals, they compress the abdominal contents and are deep stabilisers of the trunk. This aids maintenance of correct spinal alignment and posture.

The Internal Obliques are also deep stabilising muscles and assist flexion and compression of the abdominal wall. They work in partnership with the TVA (transverses abdominus) and have a similar role, with movement and stabilising functions.

The External Obliques are superficial muscles and work with the Rectus Abdominis. The most superficial of all the abdominals is the Rectus Abdominis, whose function is to flex the trunk and assist in stabilising the pelvis.

The Multifidus are deep stabilising muscles of the spine and work to prevent unwanted movement. The Erector Spinae muscle group are superficial and is the length of the back. They act on movement of the spine as a whole and help maintain posture holding the spine in place when lifting or holding heavy objects. Good core stability provides the body with a stable base from which the muscles can contract powerfully and efficiently, resulting in a decreased risk of injury in the spine, pelvis and shoulder girdle.

The core includes your back, shoulders and pelvic girdles. Before we start to use core stability exercises we must be able to locate the neutral spine when standing, sitting and lying down.

Some effective ways to train the abdominals/core:

• The Plank

• Side Plank Superman

• Two Point Box Stability Ball Curl-ups

• Back Extension

• The Bridge Abdominal Crunches and Reverse Crunches

By Beverley Walsh, Exercise referral Specialist and Personal Trainer