The abdominal muscles include:
- Transverse abdominus (TA)
- Rectus abdominus
- Internal oblique
- External oblique.
Small muscles...LARGE purpose
These all work together to stabilize, flex and rotate the lumbar spine. These muscles also act as the main connection from the upper body to the lower body during any type of full body movement.
Abdominal muscle imbalance
The TA works like an abdominal brace to protect the spine, along with the multifidus and pelvic floor muscles (not labeled) seen in the image on the right. The direct attachment of these muscles to the spine is the reason why they are so great at maintaining a stable surface for the other joints to move around. Without the recruitment of these muscles, stability is lost and the larger rectus abdominus will take over. This puts the spine at risk for repetitive stress during movements such as sit-ups, deadlifts or even lifting heavy items off the floor. It is important to do exercises that specifically focus on strengthening the TA because a traditional sit-up does not target this muscle. Once you have the ability to contract your TA (while continuing to breathe!) the goal is to increase the endurance of this muscle so that you can stabilize your spine throughout the entire WOD.
Fun fact: midline stabilization refers to the activation of the TA, multifidus, glutes and pelvic floor muscles. The “core” is also another term used to group these muscles. It takes focus and practice to be able to activate these muscles, but midline stabilization is ESSENTIAL to exercising efficiently and safely.
Midline Stabilization Exercise Video including:
1. Finding neutral spine for the exercises below.
2. Dying bug progression: only progress if you can maintain neutral spine while continuing to breathe.
3. Bird dog progression: also maintain neutral spine and breathing. The PVC helps you know if you are keeping your hips level.
How many reps should you do? The goal is to increase the endurance of these muscles, so you want to repeat them until your form fails, working up to higher repetitions as you improve. When your form fails the exercise becomes pointless, so stop and reset before you continue.
Created by: Missy Albrecht DPT, CSCS, FMS
Reference: Dutton, Mark. Orthopaedic Examination, Evaluation, and Intervention. Second edition. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc, 2008: 1501-1502.
