Abs & Lower back | Suite101.com

We all love having a nice set of abs. Simple as that. But there's something else to it as well, which is surprisingly often overlooked. Now, what am I talking about? Sex appeal? Naah... I'm more thinking in terms of their actual FUNCTION in your body! They look good, feel good ... And they do good, even though you might not think much about it in your daily life.

Every time you do a squat, you use them. Every time you do some tricep-pushdowns, you use them. In fact, you use your abs in almost every damn exercise there is, mainly as a stabilizer. Biomechanically speaking, your midsection is your weak spot, which is also a contributing factor to many people's back problems.

Just take an example as simple as a dumbbell-curl. You grab it, curl it up and curl it back down. Easy. But... every time you hold a weight and move it away from your body, you put stress on your midsection. And the same goes for your lower back, for the same reasons - if your muscles are weak, something else is going to take the workload when stress is put on your midsection. That "else" is exactly what you want to avoid, unless you have this love for an aching back and plans to keep it that way as you get old.

In conclusion, one could say that both abs and the lower back is a double-benefit to keep in shape - you look good, and you remain injury free. Remaining injury free is the cornerstone of all progressive training, and if you're planning to take on the big weights, a strong midsection is an absolute must!

Getting stronger

What is the best way to gain actual strength then? Doing hundreds of crunches is good, but what then? That's your bodyweight, and increasing resistance is important when seeking improved strength. And what about lower back? Here's my remedy for a weak midsection. No specific weights are printed, as it's individual. So aim for a weight which you can do the suggested amount of reps with, and when you can do more you simply add more weight.

Abs:
Straight crunches - 1 set/20-30 reps
Cable crunches - 2 sets/8-10 reps
Twisted crunches - 1 set/until failure

Lower back
Deadlifts* - 2 sets/8-10 reps
Hyperextensions - 2 sets/10-12 reps

Deadlifts are a general power movement that everybody should do - include it in every back session you plan!

...And a final word: There's plenty of good abs/lower back machines out there. I usually stick to the basics, but once every three workouts you can go ahead and do something completely different. Remember, change = growth, so make sure to switch order, change weights and do something different once in a while.