What Are Dangerous Abdominal Exercises?
Everyone wants flat abs, and the quest for a tight tummy can cause common sense to get tossed out the window. Thoughts of "no pain, no gain" can lead to injuries and, well, pain. Any ab exercise can be dangerous if you lack proper form, use too much weight or attempt to go through a range of motion that is beyond your strength and flexibility. It is important to do exercises appropriate to your fitness level and to concentrate, so you can learn what your body is capable of doing. It will tell you if an exercise is merely challenging or is hurting you. Some exercises are more dangerous than others and should performed with caution, or not at all.
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Core Muscles
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The core muscles that make up your abdominal group include the rectus abdominus (think 6-pack muscles), the internal and external obliques (where love handles may accumulate), and the transverse abdominus. The transverse abdominus is a deep muscle that holds in your organs and assists in the stabilization of your spine. Although it is important to strengthen all of these muscles, you should remember that it is not worth sacrificing the well-being of other muscles to do so.
Sit Ups
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Sit ups are hard, but they do not work the abs as much as you might think. Your abs are only engaged while lifting your shoulders off the ground. After that point, your hip flexor muscles take over. If your back is not strong, you can hurt it doing a full sit up. Stick to crunches unless you have a strong, healthy back.
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Reverse Crunches
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Reverse crunches require you to lie on your back and lower your legs to the floor, which engages your lower abdominal muscles. Some people will tell you to put your legs 1 inch off the floor and hold them there to do this exercise. Try it. Unless your lower back and core are strong, you'll start to feel the strain in your low back. Do not do this exercise until you have properly prepared for it through gentler exercises to work your entire core and until you can have a professional teach you the proper form.
Ab Machines
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Everyone loves machines. They seem so safe and come with instructions. Machines can be detrimental for core work, because they allow you to cheat. The ones with handles are useless, as you can use your arms to lift yourself, or simply throw your body up using momentum. Momentum is not a muscle. Ab machines are especially hard on your back. They allow you to lift a lot of weight, but do not require your muscles to stabilize you. This excessive weight can hurt your back, spine and neck.
Tips for Great Abs
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Nothing can take the place of a good diet and consistent cardiovascular exercise. Abdominal exercises should be done in conjunction with an entire exercise and diet plan. Cross training in different aerobic exercises, such as swimming, hiking, dancing and using cardio machines such as elliptical trainers, will make sure you keep your metabolism high and burn off excess calories. These exercises will also help maintain your ab strength, as you will need your abs to stabilize your body during these activities. Good posture will help maintain ab strength. Walk and sit with your tailbone pointing toward the ground, your belly button draw in by your ab muscles and your back straight. Hire a personal trainer and nutritionist, if you need help with your diet or your exercise form.
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