Full Abdominal Workout Plan

A full abdominal workout plan can improve the appearance of your mid-section, support correct postural alignment and possibly prevent injuries. However, the program will be even more effective if performed in conjunction with diet modification and regular aerobic exercise.

Contrary to popular belief, toned and defined abdominal muscles can not be achieved by crunches alone.

Excess body fat must be burned off through aerobic exercise and excess consumption of fatty foods should be avoided. The American College of Sports Medicine recently updated their guidelines. They now suggest that people perform 30 minutes of aerobic exercise on most days of the week.

In addition to dietary modification and cardiovascular exercise, hydration plays an important role in obtaining those coveted flat abs. Your body knows that it can not survive without an adequate amount of fluid. As such, when it feels dehydrated, it stores water in the form of bloat. While it sounds counter-intuitive, drinking water is the only way to eliminate bloat.

No matter how many crunches you perform, poor posture will make your abdominal area look flabby. If you have a tendency to slouch, gravity will take its toll on your abdominal muscles. In addition to abdominal exercise, you will need to perform back exercises. If you have a tendency to arch your lower back, your stomach will protrude. Consider enrolling in a Pilates program, which will help improve posture.

Often, a full abdominal workout plan will fail, because of improper use of the core musculature. The core is your deeper layer of abdominal muscle. It is activated by voluntarily drawing in the abdominal area, or by exhaling. This voluntary core activation is crucial to effective abdominal exercise. Here's why.

In most people, the lower back and neck muscles are stronger than the abdominal muscles. Unfortunately, this makes it easier for the back and neck to overcompensate during abdominal exercise. By voluntarily contracting the abdominal muscles, you force them to share the work load. Exhaling during the flexion phase of an abdominal exercise can help activate your deep core muscle. When you exhale, your transverse abdominal muscle, which is your deepest layer, presses against the diaphragm to expel the air. This causes a deeper abdominal contraction. You can also enhance core activation by simply drawing your abdominals in and holding them tight for 10 seconds. This should be performed 10 times daily.

An effective, full abdominal plan should consist of exercises for all of the different abdominal muscles. These include:

• The rectus abdominus: The rectus abdominus is the muscle that is used in crunches, as well as the full roll up that is used in a Pilates program. Crunches can be performed with the feet on the floor or with the legs in an elevated position. You can increase core activation by performing crunches on the stability ball.
• The internal obliques: The internal obliques are involved in rotational movement of the upper torso. According to an abdominal exercise study performed by the American Council on Exercise, the bicycle maneuver is one of the best exercises for the internal obliques. Lie on your back and raise your legs. Lift your head and shoulders from the floor. One leg will be bent and the other will be straight. Rotate your torso toward the bent leg. Keep you head lifted during the transition and then switch to the other side. If your back has a tendency to arch, lift your legs up higher.
• The external obliques: The external obliques are the muscles of your waistline. They are worked during side-bending exercises.
• The lower abdominal muscles: While the lower abdominal muscles can not be isolated, certain exercises emphasize them more than the upper abdominals. For example, the reverse curl is performed with the upper body relaxed. The legs are elevated as the pelvis is lifted from the floor.

You can avoid burnout by performing abdominal exercises on different types of equipment. For example, performing a crunch at the lower end of an inclined bench is far more challenging than performing it with your feet on the floor. To challenge you lower abs, put your head at the higher end of the bench. This will make your abdominals work "uphill," which is more challenging.

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