Gym Touches™ | #GymTouches

9 days ago

DEM LOWER ABS: This is one of my favourite abdominal exercises and it can really work your upper and lower abs. I will explain the video, but please also read my abdominal education rant as well! It’s important if you want results!: 1. Reverse Crunch (easiest) 2. Assisted Hip Lift (slightly harder) 3. Hip Lift - Dragon Flag variation (hardest) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ With each one of these exercises if you want to really target muscle tissue in the lower abs, you need to ‘put your mind into the muscle’. You need to consciously feel like your peeling and tucking your pelvis towards your ribs, before lifting it off the floor. One of the things that holds anyone back in achieving results is a lack of anatomical understanding. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It’s like trying to build a house without a blueprint; if you don’t know the structure - how will you know wtf to do?! If you can get even a basic understanding of your abs, the insertion and origin of certain muscles, you will also be able to figure out how to train them properly! AND you won’t fall for empty promises that are found all around the interwebz. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Targeting your lower abs (let’s say body fat aside) requires that you understand the RECTUS ABDOMINUS (which is both your upper and lower 6 pack). The rectus originates at the pubic bone (more specifically pubic tubercle and symphysis) - so, the area that you would call your lower abs and inserts at the 5th, 6th and 7th rib and sternum the upper abs. The RA’s main job is to flex/round your trunk and other jobs include stabilising the pelvis and increasing intra abdominal pressure. Also the tissue that sits over your abs that can determine whether your abs are heavily defined. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We generally store more fat around the lower part, which can often make you think that your lower abs need targeting (which may be true) but it could also be that your TVA (transverse abdominus) a deeper abdominal muscle needs activation and awareness too. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If abs are a goal of yours, before you go changing your diet or trying various ab exercises - google the anatomy and try to learn all about them. I promise it will pay off. cc: @shona_vertue