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Abdominal
Muscles Anatomy
Getting
to Know Your
Ab Muscles
 There are six different abdominal muscles of the
anterior abdominal
wall; the rectus abdominus, two external oblique muscles on each side,
two internal oblique muscles on each side and the transverse abdominus
muscle.
These muscles extend from various places on the ribs
to various places on the pelvis and provide movement and support to the
trunk.
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- Rectus
Abdominis Muscle
The rectus abdominus is the muscle that is generally referred to as a
“six
pack”. Although many refer to this as the lower ab and upper
ab it is actually one long muscle. It is located between the
ribs and the pubic bone at
the front
of the pelvis. The main purpose of this muscle is to move the
body
between the rib cage and the pelvis.
- External
Oblique Muscle
There are 2 external oblique muscles located on each side of the rectus
abdominus. These muscles allow your body to twist, but to the
opposite
side of whichever muscle is contracting. So, to twist to the
left, you
are contracting the right external oblique muscle.
- Internal
Oblique Muscle
There are also 2 internal oblique muscles located just inside the hip
bones. These muscles are also used to aid in twisting the
body,
however, they work opposite of the external obliques. For
instance, to
turn the body to the right, you would be contracting the right internal
oblique muscle but the left external oblique muscle.
- Transversus
Abdominis Muscle
This is the deepest muscle layer and it’s main role is to stabilize the
trunk and to maintain abdominal pressure. This is the most
overlooked abdominal muscle when people are doing ab exercises.
It is one of the most critical muscles as it helps to
strengthen the core and reduce or minimize lower back pain.
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Abdominal
Exercises
Now
that you have the right understanding of your abdominal muscles and the
muscles anatomy, you
will want to create an exercise routine that will work all of these
muscles. Some common abdominal exercises are the best to start with.
Go to the abdominal
exercises page for a list and links of some common ab
exercises. The list is by abdominal muscle group.
If you are not sure what exercises to include to work all your
ab muscles the best thing would be to purchase a workout DVD
that has ab exercises as they will generally include all the muscles.
Here's an article on a study of common abdominal exercises and their effectiveness
on the abdominal muscles.
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Strength
Training
Find out what type of strength training exercise is best for you and
start working out and toning your entire body.
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