Abdominal Strength:  Too Weak or Too Strong

Remember Jack LaLanne?   He did a number of amazing physical feats throughout his life.  His original benchmark for sit ups was 1,033 in 23 minutes.  I did a bit browsing to see if anyone had come close.  Well, what do you know. One thousand is obviously nuthin'.  Skip Chase did 110,917 in 2004 in 24 hrs.  Right here in Santa Rosa in 2009, 2477 were done in one hour.  Criminy, in the Ashtanga Primary Series, we struggle at 5 rounds of boat pose.

It's no secret that our culture is obsessed with its "Abs".  There are DVDs like Abs of Steel and Hip Hop Abs and Killer Abs and 6-week 6-pack.  But, really.  Let's think about this for a bit.

Julie Gudmestad is an Iyengar Yoga Teacher and physical therapist offered her opinion via YogaU. According to her lecture, ideal abdominal muscles are strong enough to do their job and flexible enough to allow normal movement patterns. The abs provide important support for the low back and maintain the pelvis in normal alignment (preventing a sway back). They support the internal organs and their alignment in the trunk. Strong abs help us with our daily activities, like picking up Betsy (for the 100th time) and getting out of your overstuffed Barcalounger.

We have two problems, according to Ms. Gudmestad.  One is that the abdominals are weak. This comes from a sedentary lifestyle and sitting too much, like at work, in front of the TV and the sitting-in-bed-checking-Facebook-on-your-iPad slump.  Secondly, the opposite is equally problematic--overly tight abdominals.  This occurs from too much ab work, done incorrectly and without counter stretching.  The abs can become "short" and actually pull the rib cage down, causing a rounding of the torso. You can see this position with the typical "crunch"--the head is pulled forward and the spine is flexed.  This develops a squished, narrow rib cage causing limitations on the breath and the ability to expand the lungs and puts pressure on the heart.

One of the most popular core exercises is the curl-up with the hands behind the head, rounding up and drawing the knees toward the nose.  If the movement is too difficult a lot of other muscles jump in to help out, this we know.  There is a synergy between the front neck muscles and the abdominals. When doing "crunches" the front neck muscles and the chest muscles join in. The psoas does too. So, these muscles may fatigue and get stronger (but shorter) when you're actually trying to strengthen the abdominals. Over time, you can develop a "C" shape with the head forward, chest closed and lower back rounded, just like the position of the crunch.

So, here's the recommendation. It can be an ego buster, given that it seems too easy. Lay flat on your back, head neutral, elbows wide (not pulled up as in crunches).  Raise your knees over your hips with your knees bent.  The lower back is off the floor in its normal curve. Now, on an exhalation, pull the navel toward low back and press the low back to the floor.  Flattening the back causes the abdominals to engage.  Knees stay over the hips.  Don't move the knees or the thighs.  Everything else stays still except the movement of the pelvis and lower back.  Easy, but effective. 

Want to make it more challenging, tap one foot at a time to the floor while keeping the back down.  Keep the opposite knee over the hips.  It'll take a lot of effort to keep the lower back toward the floor.  No rocking.  Ms. Gudmestad says this practice should be done 3 times a week (sorry, once a week will not do it).  

So, maybe we need to rethink our "core strengthening" regimen.  Try this no-frills exercise and see how it works for you.  Next week, we'll talk about adding more movement and adding a bit more difficulty.  In the meantime, enjoy your week!