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For most of us, abs are about looks. We crunch and we crunch and we get a variety of results. There are many different muscles that make up your abdominals and some of them are very deep tissue muscles. We should probably look at training all of them and training them smarter. While the crunch is an effective exercise, too many can have negative results. According to Dr. Michael Yessis in his book “The Kinesiology of Exercise, doing excessive crunches can lead to a flattening of the lumbar curve, which will weaken your back.
There are a variety of exercises that are much more effective on the look and health of the abdominals that can be added to your routine. When you work with a trainer, you may hear about “drawing in”. Some instructors talk about holding your abs in. These tactics are introduced to protect your back and to help your abs, but it is important to know how to do this properly. It is not just “sucking it in”.
One of these maneuvers is called the “drawing in” and it can make your abdominals look and perform better if you learn to master it.
According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, the drawing in maneuver should be performed at the beginning of every set. To learn this technique, you can ask a trainer, but here are the basics from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. From your hands and knees (on all fours), pull in your abdominals while keeping your back flat. Hold for as long as you can. Once you can hold this move for 3 reps of 20 seconds each, you can move onto the plank maneuver. The plank maneuver starts in a push-up position (a real push-up, not on your knees!) From that position, you perform the same drawing in as you did on all fours. Pull in your abdominals but maintain a flat back.
Both of these exercises work deep tissue muscles in your abdominals that will help you change the look of your abs as well as keep your core balanced which will keep your abdominal area and all of the areas it supports, healthy.
Abdominal training should also include some work on a Swiss Ball for most people. The Swiss Ball protects your back so even if you have issues with your back, it is usually a good option for most people. There are a whole variety of effective exercises that you can do on the ball. One “on the ball” exercise that you may want to try is a crunch. This is a much more effective way to work your abdominals because you get a greater stretch than a standard crunch.

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