Step One: Understanding Ab Anatomy

The Anatomy of Your Abs

Many people do ab exercises everyday, however they do not realize what elements and muscles make up the abs they are strengthening and trimming. It can be an advantage to understand the anatomy of the abdominal muscles, especially when incorporating exercises to make them flat, lean, and strong. The anatomy of the abs can be intriguing for most, however it is best to be knowledgeable about them when wanting to acquire that six pack. It takes great motivation and endurance to establish a fitness routine for abs, but the rewards that occur will be well worth the battle.

The muscles that make up the abdomen are the rectus abdominis, the trensverse abdominis, external obliques, internal obliques, and the pectoralis major is part of the abdomen in the chest region. The abdominals of a human are conformed by many muscles that are all linked and stranded together, each muscle has a specific purpose and is located in a different area of the abdomen.

The first part of the abdomen most people are fascinated with is the rectus abdominis. This is the central focus of the abdomen also known as the region that appears as a washboard or six pack. These muscles serve the purpose of holding the pelvis up above and inside around the navel area. Many people strive to get the rectus abdominis to look ripped, however there has to be minimal body fat on the stomach for this to occur.

The transverse abdominis is located under the rectus abdominis. It is utilized to pull the navel back to the spine. It is a horizontal muscle that can also be referred to a lower ab muscle. When a person is working on their lower abs they are strengthening and toning this muscle that lies beneath the navel. The upper abdominals are conformed by the external and internal obliques.

The internal oblique muscle is located along the sides of the waist, and the external oblique is located below the chest muscles on both sides of the abdomen. Their purpose is to allow your abdomen to twist and turn about the waist region. They adhere your ribs as well as to the rectus abdominis. The internal obliques run in strands of the opposite direction to all the other muscle strands. They can be strengthened, however it will not show on the exterior of your abdomen.

It is important to be educated on all aspects of the anatomy of the abdomen as you pursue your 6 pack abs. This can assist an individual when they are exercising to better themselves and their workouts. Knowing which muscles are where are important when concentrating on a specific exercise and movement. Gaining the definition and sculpturing the abs by performing intense ab workouts can be very successful. If you are only focusing on one part of the abdomen you will never get the full effects, that is why it is wise to know the four major muscles that make up the abdomen and incorporate work outs that utilize them individually and as a whole group.