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Women's Abdominal Training
Womens abdominal training , especially lower
abdominal training has virtually stagnated for years. With the
introduction of the Ab Mat and the related training techniques
discussed in "Sit-ups Redefined" new discoveries have been made
specifically related to training the the abdominals of a female.
This section will discuss these new breakthroughs.
The crunch has even more short-comings for women than for men.
Remember, resistance through a full range of motion is the key to
success with abdominal training. The female upper body tends to be
proportionately lighter than the male's. This makes it easier for
females to cheat in the crunch movment. Add to this the lack of
range of movement in a crunch and you may be getting the idea how
crunches are a dissapointing alternative for effective abdominal
training of females.
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By forcing women into full extension
from the start of the movement (Figure 1) not only is the range of
motion more than doubled but significant resistance is added to the
work the abdominal muscles must do when this occurs.
When doing a crunch, the lower section of the abdominal muscles in a
women is never in a full |
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| stretched-out positon. This does not permit the
proper working of the lower section of the rectus or the lower
section of the internal obliques. As stated in the Sit-ups Redefined
section, when the pivot point moves to the pelvis- the area of most
concern to women- one can instantly feel the working of the lower
section of the abdominals. If you look at figures 2 and 3 you can
see the exact parts of the sit-up we are talking about. It only
takes one set of sit-ups to notice the difference.. |
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Women's Lower abdominal training
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Why is the Ab Mat the best device to finally
help women work the lower section of the abdominals? Simple: it's
the first device that actually allows for the lower section to work
from a fully stretched out or extended position. From the Sit-ups
redefined article you have been given the basics of full range
motion. Now let's look at it in reference to a female's lower
abdominal anatomy.
Look at the standard lower abdominal exercises used today: The
reverse-crunch ( figures 4, 4a ) or legs up reverse-crunch (figure
5,5a). How can the lower sections of the abdominals (mainly the
rectus abdominus and lower internal obliques) be expected to work
properly, when just the simple action of placing the back flat on
the floor before the exercise is begins eliminates using these
muscles correctly.
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With the Ab Mat
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| Keep in mind that muscles work best when they pull
in a straight line. Now take a look at the direction of pull of the
lower section of the internal obliques. (Drawing 1) The lower
section of the Internal obliques can have a girdle type effect on
the lower midsection when worked properly with the rectus abdominus,
through a full range of motion. |
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The Ab Mat allows the abdominals to function through a full range of
motion. Take a look at figures 7, 7a, 7b, 8, 8a, 8b to see the
effect the use of the Ab Mat has on the old movements.
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Full Range of motion is essential for all abdominal exercises.
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| By the Way: How substantial is this extra range of
motion gained with the use of the Ab Mat? Yes, it's only about 2-4
inches in the lower abdominal area. Take a look at the area on a
women's lower stomach that always seems to be that problem area.
Yeah, about those 2-4 extra inches worked with the Ab Mat. (Drawing
2) |
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