A Safer Way to Strong Abs
Stephen Clark, PT, DPT, MHS, OCS, MBA

Everything in fitness has evolved before our eyes. We have all seen, and some of us have used, the latest and best fitness equipment available. We have exercise machines that are completely controlled by a computer and, not only does this new equipment feel better on our joints and muscles, but it also improves our athletic movements.

We've seen a variety of new equipment created to strengthen abdominal muscles. But does this new equipment really do a better job? And do you need gimmicky equipment or electrodes to effectively strengthen and build your abdominal region? No.

A great way to strengthen the stomach muscles is on a stability ball - a large, inflatable, rubber ball that you can perform a variety of exercises on.

But first you must understand your abdominal muscles before you can effectively strengthen them. Your abs are composed of the same muscle fiber type - skeletal muscle - as all the other "work- out muscles," such as the biceps of the upper arm or the quadriceps of the upper leg. In order to make the four different abdominal muscles - rectus abdominus, internal and external oblique, and transverse abdominus - look good and perform properly, they need to be trained just like all the other muscles in your workout program.

The abdominal crunch is a popular exercise that is typically performed on a flat surface such as the floor or bench and it usually yields errors. The two most common mistakes when performing the abdominal crunch are too many repetitions and too small a range of motion.