Truth: Everyone I know does ab work in pursuit of a flat belly. We can talk all we want about ab work for strength, function, and performance. But the ability to zip up your jeans is a pretty big motivator too. In this post, I’ll tell you what muscles you want to work (transverse abdominals) and show you a few ways to work them.
When I ask my class members what exercises they want more of, the answer is invariably abdominal exercises. And they willingly admit it’s in pursuit of a flat belly.
Regardless of your motivation, there are multiple contributors to a flat belly. Among them are diet, genetics, and weight, along with the types and techniques of exercises you do. Cardio certainly helps as a fat burner, but let’s focus on specific exercises we can do.
Effective Ab Work
A basic overview of anatomy will help you understand what muscles to work and how to work them. The three main groups of abdominal muscles are the rectus abdominis, the obliques (external and internal), and the transverse abdominis.
Traditional ab workouts are heavy on recruiting the rectus abdominis and obliques. The rectus abdominis is the main flexor of the trunk (the ‘six-pack’) and we focus on this with traditional crunches or similar exercises. Add in rotation and you’re targeting the obliques. To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with these exercises. But we’re overlooking a vital muscle group.
The transverse abdominis is a band of horizontal muscle fibers deep under the rectus abdominis and the obliques. You might consider it a type of corset. It holds your organs in place and provides stability in your core.
If you want to activate your transverse abdominals, try pulling your belly button in. But don’t round out your low back. If you’re rounding forward and tilting your pelvis, you’re using your rectus abdominus. Keep a slight forward curve in your low back while pulling your belly button in and that’s your transverse abdominals.
Think for a moment of those traditional crunches. If you could freeze yourself in a crunch and stand up, what would you look like? Now, think of plank position and rotate that into standing. Which more closely mimics ideal sitting and standing posture? (Answer: Plank)
Plank rotated to show the relationship to standing posture.
Some Exercises to Engage Tranverse Abdominals
- Plank
- Superman
- Bird Dog
- Leg lowering variations in supine (on your back)
In reality, you never work just one type of abdominal muscle. You might key in on transverse abdominals but your rectus abdominis and obliques will still help out. However, because the transverse abdominals are often neglected, focusing on them can be extremely helpful with your ab work in pursuit of a flat belly… or core strength… or whatever your ultimate goal is.
Stay fit!
Check out this post for tips on how to maximize your ab workout with a forearm plank.