By Dr. Davide Marciano
When can we train the abs?
Unfortunately not everyone can do it!
The abdomen, the most loved by Italians.
Anyone would do anything to reduce the waistline and see this wonderful muscle band.
Mine will not be a treatment aimed at the construction of the famous turtle (you just need to open any magazine to discover billions of good and usual tips), rather I will focus on other topics that do not find much space in common fitness talk.
Even if we adore them, not everyone can do the exercises for the abdomen, or rather, each of us should do them differently (personalized work).
I appeal to all those people who already experience back pains during the day or even during an exercise for the abdomen. But it would still be better to prevent; so based on the subject, I advise everyone to make the following changes.
I will analyze the relationship between common abdominal exercises - such as the reverse crunch, the raising of the legs, the sit up - and the spine of the people we are training, dividing them into hyper and lordotic hypo.
Hypo-lordotic subjects
They have a reduced or even flattened lumbar curve (lordosis). This category includes all those people who are relieved from sitting, while experiencing a sharpening of pain especially when standing for too many hours.
From a muscular point of view this missed curve MAY be due to:
- Retroversion of the pelvis by hypotonic of the hip flexors (among the most powerful rectum of the quadriceps - ileopsoas)
- Hypertonic of the ischiocruralis.
- Hypertonic abdominal wall.
We say that these subjects are the least suitable to work the abdomen, but with certain tricks and a good personalization we can try.
Bearing in mind the three factors listed above, we must prepare the abdomen with pre-empowerment exercises. I'd start with some stretching exercises, like the position of the sphinx. Also, I would spend an stretching exercise even for the crudes. In doing so, even partially, we are going to reduce the tension in those critical points that can cause pain.
I would calmly recommend the execution of the "Raise of the legs" exercise (lying up I raise the legs that are extended), as the abdomen works in an isometric way and the flexor muscles (straight quadriceps and ileopsoas) do most of the work.
The reverse crunch could be done with a pad under the lumbar area to emphasize the curve. The ROM must be partial, maximum elongation (maximum descent of the basin) and reduced ascent of the latter.
Even the sit up can be done but with legs extended so as to put the usual flexors into pretension.
I would certainly add at the end of everything an exercise for the lumbar muscles, such as partial hyperextensions (avoid going down too much with the torso to obviate the lumbar flattening).
Hyper-lordotic subjects
They are the exact opposite of the previous ones (accentuated lumbar curve).
A sitting position is more uncomfortable for these people.
From the muscular point of view this accentuation of the curve could be due to:
- Antiversion of the pelvis for hypertonicity of the hip flexors (among the most powerful rectum of the quadriceps - ileopsoas)
- Crucial ischiums.
- Hypotonic abdominal wall.
These are the best people to work with the abdomen.
Even here, though, I'd start with a pre-empowerment stretching job. I would stretch the flexors with a lunge-like position of the fencer.
All the exercises except the leg lifts are recommended, which should strengthen the already "short" flexor muscles.
I recommend a lot of work in concentric isometry to try to "shorten" the abdominal wall.
Reverse crunch, crunch, they are great but I would pay a lot of attention to the sit up that I would not recommend or at least I would do it with legs bent.
Conclusions
Surely this treatment is only a SIMPLE beginning to see physical exercise with different eyes. I have treated the lumbar spine sectorally, but the human body should be viewed holistically; for example, the curves of the spine are closely connected and the alteration of only one of them inevitably leads to a compensation over the others. Furthermore, it should be seen and studied whether the anteversion or retroversion, therefore hyper and lordosis, of the pelvis is the cause or effect of any pain.
For example:
- of the hyperesthesia knees (recurvatum) could bring the pelvis into an anteversion and cause an adaptation hyperlordosis, which in turn will lead to ascending adaptive decompensation.
- or an overly tense right ileopoas will induce a flexion and an inclination on the whole side of the whole spinal column probably bringing, in the long term, a shoulder higher than the other, with consequent pains to the latter. At that point the usual procedure will start: various medical treatments, various specialists, anti-inflammatories, patches and so on. Not knowing that work on the shoulders is useless unless the cause of everything is solved, which in this case is represented by the tension of the ileopsoas muscle.
