Abdominal Muscle Basics

At this point, every household in America probably knows that the abdominal muscles are collectively referred to as the abs. Keep in mind that your abs aren’t just in front of your body but wrap around your body. This fact is important in training because many people only seem to be concerned with training what they see — the front and center — but your abs cover much more of your body.
You have four abdominal muscles:

• Rectus abdominis: This is the largest abdominal muscle and runs from your breastbone to your pubic bone, a few inches below your belly button. The rectus abdominis

1. Curls your spine forward when performing crunches (or when you double over with laughter from watching Desperate Housewives).
2. Keeps your spine still when you move other parts of your body, such as when you lift a heavy box off the floor.

• Obliques, internal and external: These muscles run diagonally up and down your sides. Your obliques

1. Help your rectus abdominis curl your spine forward.
2. Enable you to twist and bend to the side.
3. Provide lower back support.

• Transversus abdominis: The transversus abdominis sits directly beneath the rectus abdominis and is the deepest of all your abdominal muscles. This muscle

1. Is continuously working when you’re sitting and standing.
2. Helps support your lower back and keep good posture.

Wrist curl and reverse wrist curl

The wrist curl and reverse wrist curl are great for strengthening your wrist muscles.
Be careful if you’ve had wrist or elbow problems.

Wrist curl
Hold a weight in your right hand with an underhand grip, and sit on the edge of your bench with your knees as wide as your hips. Lean slightly forward, and place your entire forearm on top of your thigh so your hand hangs over the edge of your knee. Clasp your left palm over your wrist to hold it steady (see photo A). Curl your wrist up so the dumbbell moves toward your forearm, and then lower the weight back down.

Reverse wrist curl
Turn your palm down, and, again, secure your wrist in place with your other hand. Bend your wrist up to raise the dumbbell to thigh height (see photo B), and then lower the weight back down. (Hint: You may need slightly less weight to do the reverse wrist curl.)

Do’s and don’ts

• DO curl straight up; try to avoid moving the weight to the side.
• DON’T let your forearm lift off your thigh.

Other options

• Modified wrist curl: If you have weak wrists and find this exercise difficult, simply move the weight up and down a shorter distance.
• Wrist-and-finger curl (harder): At the bottom of the wrist curl, roll the weight down to the tips of your fingers and then roll it back before curling the weight up. This exercise is excellent for typists or others who use their hands a lot because it strengthens the forearms and prevents carpal tunnel syndrome.

Triceps dip machine

The triceps dip machine targets your triceps and, to some extent, your shoulder and chest muscles.
Take special care if you have shoulder, elbow, or neck problems.

Getting set
Set the seat height so that when your arms are fully bent, your elbows are at or below chest level. Sit in the seat with your feet flat on the floor. If the machine has a seat belt, wear it to prevent you from popping up out of the seat while you do the exercise. Grasp a handle in each hand so your elbows are bent and your palms are facing in. Pull your abdominals in and sit with your back, buttocks, and shoulder blades against the back support. See photo A.

The exercise
Press the handles down until your arms are straight but your elbows remain relaxed (see photo B). Slowly bend your arms until your elbows are up near chest height.

Do’s and don’ts

• DO keep your shoulders relaxed instead of hunching them up near your ears.
• DO keep your wrists in line with your forearm instead of bending them outward.
• DON’T slam your arms or lock your elbows.

Other options

• Different grips: Most triceps dip machines have the option of a narrow or a wide grip. Start with the wide grip because you’re more likely to use correct form. However, when you become more proficient with this machine, the inside grip does an excellent job of isolating the triceps muscles.
• Modified triceps dip machine: You can raise the seat higher to restrict the distance your arms travel. This variation is an excellent option for those with neck and shoulder problems because the raised seat keeps you from raising your arms as high and ensures that the neck and shoulders won’t be hunched and tight.
• Triceps extension machine: Some gyms have a triceps extension machine rather than a triceps dip machine. The extension machine works the muscles the same way except that you start with your arms at shoulder height with your elbows resting on a pad; then you press the handles, straightening your arms out in front of you instead of downward.

Bench dip

The bench dip is one of the few triceps exercises that strengthens other muscles, too — in this case, the shoulders and chest.
Be careful if you have wrist, elbow, or shoulder problems.

Getting set
Sit on the edge of a bench with your legs together and straight in front of you, pointing your toes upward. Keeping your elbows relaxed, straighten your arms, place your hands so you can grip the underside of the bench on either side of your hips and slide your butt just off the front of the bench so your upper body is pointing straight down (see photo A). Keep your abdominals pulled in and your head centered between your shoulders.

The exercise
Bend your elbows and lower your body in a straight line. When your upper arms are parallel to the floor, push yourself back up. See photo B.

Do’s and don’ts

• DO try to keep your wrists straight rather than bent backwards.
• DO keep hips and back (as you lower) as close to the bench throughout the motion.
• DON’T simply thrust your hips up and down, a common mistake among beginners. Make sure that your elbows are moving.
• DON’T lower yourself past the point at which your upper arms are parallel to the floor.

Other options

• Bent-leg bench dip (easier): Instead of extending your legs out in front of you, bend your knees at a right angle so you’re positioned as if you’re sitting in a chair.
• Feet-up bench dip (harder): Place your feet on another chair of equal height. Or, for an even tougher version, place a weight plate or dumbbell on your lap..

Triceps kickback

The triceps kickback works your triceps. Use caution if you have elbow or lower back problems.

Getting set
Hold a dumbbell in your right hand, and stand next to the long side of your bench. Lean forward at the hips until your upper body is at a 45-degree angle to the floor, and place your free hand on top of the bench for support. Bend your right elbow so your upper arm is parallel to the floor, your forearm is perpendicular to the floor, and your palm faces in (see photo A). Keep your elbow close to your waist. Pull your abdominals in and relax your knees.

The exercise
Keeping your upper arm still, straighten your arm behind you until the end of the dumbbell is pointing down (see photo B). Slowly bend your arm to lower the weight. When you’ve completed the set, repeat the exercise with your left arm.

Do’s and don’ts

• DO keep your abdominals pulled in and your knees relaxed to protect your lower back.
• DON’T lock your elbow at the top of the movement; do straighten your arm but keep your elbow relaxed.
• DON’T allow your upper arm to move or your shoulder to drop below waist level.

Other options
Cable triceps kickback: Put the pulley on the topmost setting and attach a horseshoe handle. Grasping the handle in one hand, position yourself in the same way described in the basic kickback, and perform the same exercise. You may have to step a foot or two away from the cable tower to prevent the cable from going slack.
Triceps kickback with a twist (harder): As you straighten your arm, twist it
so that at the top of the movement, your palm faces up.

Triceps pushdown

The triceps pushdown targets your triceps. Pay special attention to your form if you have elbow problems. Standing up straight with your abdominal muscles pulled in helps you avoid lower back problems.

Getting set
Set the pulley of the cable at the topmost setting and attach a straight or Ushaped bar. Grasp the bar with your palms facing down and your hands about a thumb’s distance from the center of the bar. You can stand either with your feet parallel or with one foot slightly in front of the other. Bend your elbows so your forearms are parallel to the floor and your elbows are alongside your waist (see photo A of Figure 14-6). You can lean slightly forward at the hips, but keep your abdominals pulled in and your knees relaxed. See photo B.

The exercise
Push the bar straight down, keeping your elbows close to your sides (see photo B). Then bend your arms to allow the bar to rise slowly until your arms are slightly above parallel to the ground.

Do’s and don’ts

• DO push down smoothly, exerting the same amount of pressure with both hands so both sides of the bar travel down evenly. _ DON’T lean too far forward or too heavily on the bar.
• DON’T allow your elbows to splay out to the sides, especially as you push down.
• DON’T let your arms fly back up as you return the bar to the starting position. Concentrate on controlling the bar.

Other options

Reverse grip pushdown (easier): Turn your hands around and use an underhanded grip. Because this version allows your biceps to assist your triceps a great deal, it’s less challenging than the basic version.

One-hand triceps pushdown: Attach the horseshoe, and grasp it with one hand in an underhand grip. (You can also use an overhand grip, although it’s tougher.) Place your other hand on your hip. Straighten your arm, pushing the handle until it’s alongside your hip. Then slowly raise the handle back up.

Rope attachment (harder): Use the rope attachment, and move your hands a few inches apart as you press the rope down. You may need to use less weight with the rope than you do with a bar.

Arm curl machine

The arm curl machine focuses on your biceps. Be careful if you’ve had elbow injuries.

Getting set
Adjust the seat so when you sit down and extend your arms straight out,
your arms are level with your shoulders and your elbows are lined up with the moving hinge or pulley of the machine. Sit down and grasp a handle in each hand with an underhand grip. See photo A in Figure

The exercise
Bend your elbows and pull the handles until they’re just above your shoulders (see photo B ), and then slowly lower the handles back down.

Do’s and don’ts

• DO make sure that you set the seat height correctly. If you set the seat too low, you’ll have trouble bending your arms and may place too much strain on your elbows.
• DO sit up tall and make an effort to pull exclusively with your arms as opposed to hunching up your shoulders or leaning back.
  
• DON’T use a chest pad to help haul the weight. If there’s a pad, use it for light support only.

Other options
Some gyms have arm curl machines that do a fair job of mimicking dumbbell work: The two sides aren’t connected so each arm has to do the work of lifting the weight. This type of machine is a good substitute or supplement for free weight work.