TONING ABDOMINAL MUSCLESTONING ABDOMINAL MUSCLES brings you a new book by Chiropractor Dr Adam Weiss: STRENGTHEN YOUR CORE WITHOUT STRAINING YOUR BACK. Regaining your strong core muscles is vital after Chiropractic treatment for your ailing back, particularly the deeper transverse muscle, because it is closer to the spine, and thus more effective. The question though is which are the best abdominal muscle exercises so that you don't simultaneously screw up your back, or your neck. Situps and crunches are probably fine for that small minority who have had no neck or back injuries. For the rest - most of us - there are better and safer ways to strengthen your lower abdominal muscles.
"Traditional ab exercises can cause back pain, strained muscles and can even cause misalignment." - Dr Adam Weiss, DC.
SIX Ab musclesBuilding abdominal muscles means focusing on all six muscles. Because two of them come in pairs, there are really only FOUR to consider.
This is not an anatomy lesson, so we'll run through the other three very quickly. The TRANSVERSE abdominal muscleAbdominal muscle exercise is vital if you have a weak back, particularly this muscle which runs (simplified) from the ILIAC CREST and the ribs transversally to the midline.It's a vital part of the 'pelvic corset' of muscles that hold in the abdominal contents and you use it every time you lift something heavy (note how you take in a deep breath and hold it as you lift: Transversis Abdominis), in a bowel movement and singularly important in labour.
The INTERNAL OBLIQUEAs you can see from the picture below, this muscle also runs from the ILIAC CREST just below the waist upwards and towards the midline, where it inserts into the lower ribs (and other structures).It rotates the body towards the hip, and laterally flexes the trunk (side-bends). Exercise for lower abdominal muscles is very important.
The EXTERNAL OBLIQUEThis muscle also helps to tighten the belly and to rotate to the opposite side. It's really a pretty flimsy little muscle, not unimportant though in the context of toning abdominal muscles.
Every chiropractor will attest to the fact that s/he regularly treats patients who have injured themselves whilst trying to tone abdominal muscles. Chiropractor Adam Weiss himself suffered from an early age from back pain (that's how most of us get into chiropractic!) forcing him to adapt and modify his exercise program for the abdominal muscles. Out of this synthesis he has now scripted an excellent book for toning abdominal muscles. The AbSmart Fitness PlanThe Proven WorkoutLose inches and strengthen your core WITHOUT STRAINING YOUR BACK.
Part One – Getting Started
BACK SURGERY ALTERNATIVESRegular exercise, every morning before leaving your bed, that's the best way to make sure you don't end up under the knife. Do it! BACK SURGERY ALTERNATIVES ...INTERESTING LINKSMONTHLY NEWSLETTERChiropractic-Help.com and Chiropractic-Books.com send out a joint monthly newsletter. It covers an overview of a health topic (July 2010 issue #16 Obesity in the Chiropractic clinic and a nutritional corner (such as for high cholesterol).Sign up at the bottom of any Chiropractic Help Page, for example this one on TMJ ANATOMY , the underlying cause of many Migraine Headaches, one of the most important page at Chiropractic Help. The newsletter is free, and one click cancels it if you find it boring or irrelevant.
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