According to Fredrick Hatfield, the abdominal wall has three major muscles. These are the internal oblique, external oblique and the rectus abdominis. However, other muscles exist for example the transverse abdominis, spinal erectae and muscles in the pelvic girdle. Each of these muscles in the abdominal wall has a specific function and utilizes specific forms of exercise to optimize its functions. In this paper, I will explore the functions of these muscles and how they can be trained in order to optimize their function.
The rectus abdominis, also referred to as the ‘six pack’, is the most prominent of all muscles if well developed. This muscle enhances the flexion of the torso through contraction. This is because it joins the pubic bone to the lower side of the chest thereby flexing the torso towards the hips upon contraction. In order to optimize the function of this muscle, I will use exercises such as leg lifts which allow it to contract in an isometric manner thus stabilizing the pelvis from moving forward. The stabilization of the pelvic region helps to ameliorate back pain. Other exercises that I will use include crunch exercises (moving the torso to the hips) and reverse-crunch exercises which involve moving the hips to the torso repeatedly. However, Hatfield discourages abdominal crunches for obese people as they cause psychological torture. Furthermore, inability to perform repeated movements such as sitting down or getting up is embarrassing for overweight people. This may contribute to or worsen psychological torture.
The external oblique muscle attaches the ribs to the hips and the rectus abdominis. This muscle allows the spine to rotate and twist. Together with the internal oblique, they can be optimized by uti...
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...ercises, and there are just as many abdominal exercise devices”, it is necessary that I make the appropriate choices during training to meet the needs of my family, clients and friends.
References
Body and Fitness: Inspiring Beyond Sports. Retrieved October 18, 2011, from http://www.body-fitness.nl/content/training/buiktraining.asp
Free-Ab-Workout.com: Your Abdominal Muscle Anatomy. Retrieved October 18, 2011, from http://www.free-ab-workout.com/abdominal-muscle-anatomy.html
Hatfield, F. (2010). Fitness: The Complete Guide. International Sports and Sciences Association.
Hatfield, F. (2005). Fitness: The complete guide to dumbbell training. International Sports and Sciences Association.
Livestrong.com: Oblique Abdominal Muscle Exercises. Retrieved October 18, 2011, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/445402-oblique-ab-muscle-exercises/
In the frontal plane, the movement shows the depression of scapula. The joint involved in this part of the pirouette is the scapulothoracic joint. This motion can be analyzed in the frontal plane or the sagittal due to the movements of the shoulders with the trunk (Hall, 2011). In the transverse plane it is the external rotation of the hip that helps form a pirouette. The muscles used to perform the rotation are the gluteus minimus, piriformis, superior gemellus, inferior gemellus, obturator internus, obturator externus, and quadratus femoris (Hall, 2011). These muscles are used to help the leg move to the correct position for a pirouette.
The anatomy of the rotator cuff has four muscles and joints that attach to bones of the shoulder joint. These muscles are the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis (The SITS muscles). These muscles will t...
Today, for achieving a flat and firm abdomen, many of us strive for intensive weight loss and exercise. However, in some cases, these methods fail to achieve the desired goals. A loose, protruding or sagging abdomen is also witnessed in individuals with normal body weight and proportion. The reasons may include weight fluctuations, aging, heredity or any prior surgery. Sometimes, large weight loss or multiple pregnancies may cause weakening of abdominal muscles. As a result, the skin in that region becomes stagging.
Jessie Mathers, a physical therapist from Duke University Medical Center, stated that “ I see people every day with back pain, physical therapy can be an invaluable tool in reducing back pain and getting people back to the activities they love”(Mathers 00:00:18-25). Physical therapy can be useful when trying to reduce back pain. Physical therapists are likely to teach you how to do an exercise program so we can do it on our own at home and continue to work toward the desired fitness goals and prevent future problems. “The body’s core is made up of abdominal muscles, hip, pelvic, and spine muscles that help support your spine. Having a strong core can help prevent back pain and alleviate back pain”(Mathers 00:00:41-52). Doing specific exercises that the physical therapist assigns can help strengthen the body’s core to relief and reduce back pain. Injured athletes can also perform physical therapy to help their injured muscles gradually gain strength. Aquatic physical therapy is a helpful sports physical therapy form for injured athletes as it allows them to perform physical movements using the injured muscles without exerting them to a great extent. Aquatic sports physical therapy uses the buoyancy of water to make movements of injured muscles easier and painless. Healthy athletes can perform sports physical therapy to increase core strength and muscle strength in different parts of the body. Other exercises include: stretching to reduce stress on joints, core stability exercises to strengthen the muscles of your trunk and hips, lifting weights to strengthen muscles, walking, doing water aerobics, and other forms of
Norman Popovsky from the blog "Successful Living Yoga with Norman Popovsky" demonstrates a simple yoga move that helps to strengthen the subscapularis, infraspinatus and teres minor. His blog also provides an image of Dr. Fishmans ' simple wall exercise that when performed for 30 seconds two to three times a day can help improve range of motion and reduce pain within the rotator cuff.
The main function of the coccyx is to serve as a place of attachment for some crucial muscles and ligaments. It also serves as a weight-bearing structure along with the...
Such inhibition of the antagonistic muscles is not necessarily required. In fact, co-contraction can occur. When you perform a sit-up, one would normally assume that the stomach muscles inhibit the contraction of the muscles in the lumbar, or lower, region of the back. In this particular instance however, the back muscles (spinal erectors) also contract. This is one reason why sit-ups are good for strengthening the back as well as the stomach.
He or she not only will help you select gym exercises that suit you best keeping in view your fitness level, body building objectives and age group, but will also guide you on how to perform them safely. Moreover, he may also suggest you a single muscle routine, compound muscle routine or a combination of both, keeping in view your body structure and physical
Exercise is engaging in physical activity and movements to achieve an overall goal. Kinesiology is the study of these movements through analyzing the mechanics of the joints (Floyd, 2015). Two popular exercises are the chin up and the squat. These exercises are similar in that they both strengthen the body and are a closed chain exercises. Closed chain means that the distal end of the extremity is fixed while the proximal end moves (Floyd, 2015). However, these exercises are more different than they are alike. For example, a chin up is an upper body exercise while a squat is a lower body exercise. Additionally, a chin up requires a pulling motion versus the pushing motion of a squat. These exercises also use muscles of different strength. Therefore,
Arnold Kegel, a gynecologist from the University of Southern California, was the first one who highlighted the importance of pelvic floor muscles. The aim of Pelvic floor muscle Exercises (PFMEs) is to condition and strengthen the striated pelvic floor muscles through regular exercise in order to improve the urethral sphincter closure. Celiker Tosun O et al had done randomized controlled clinical trial on 130 women with stress and mixed urinary incontinence after random allocation of participants for pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT). The symptoms of urinary incontinence were significantly reduced in the patients that had reached pelvic floor muscle strength of grade 5 and continued the pelvic floor muscle training.49 García-Sánchez E et al presented a 10 years of data on effectiveness of pelvic floor muscle exercises and found that pelvic floor muscle training programmes are very effective even in preventing UI especially
Many methods are used to accomplish the conditioning and strengthening of various body parts. Olympic weight lifting styles are used while heavy objects are carried over certain distances. Olympic weight lifting includes lifting a single barbell with weights on each side, running, using dumbbells, rope-jumping and do-body weight exercises. Do-body weight training consists of exercises that don’t incorporate weights or objects which include exercises such as squats, sit-ups and
Slade S.C., Ther M.M., Keating J.L. (2006) Trunk-Strengthening Exercise for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics vol. 29 pp:163-173.
Butt squeezes don't require fancy equipment, and are discreet, so they can be done pretty much anywhere, whether you're watching TV, or waiting in line in the grocery store. Simply squeeze your butt cheeks together, and hold the isometric contraction for 10 seconds. (See References 2) Do eight to 12 reps, two to three times a day. For variety, contract your butt while you walk; step forward with your right foot, and right after your heel lands, squeeze your right butt cheek. Release the tension right before your toe lifts off the floor, and repeat the exercise on your other side. (See References 3, p. 29)
The first butt exercise is Dumbbell Deadlifts. This is the best for your glutes, and this is the basic movement. You just need to grab your dumbbells, stand with your feet at hip-width and your knees slightly bent. Next is hold tour dumbbells face to your body, and the dumbbells parallels to your torso. Keep your upper back and your neck aligned, and then bend at your waist. Bring your torso downward and allow the dumbbells to come closer to the floor as possible. That is one rep and performs 10-15 reps.
There are many different classes available at gyms and various types of home exercise equipment to use. Although there are many at home techniques to try as well. ...