Want Super Summer Abdominals?

The abdominal area is the centre of the body, according to Joseph Pilates, the founder of the Pilates Method. He believed that each and every movement should be initiated from the abdominals and engage the muscles of the "powerhouse" as he called it. No wonder so many participants new to Pilates classes first notice changes in their waistlines! Tummies flatten and pants start to hang. Moreover, because strong abdominal muscles help to keep the spine properly aligned and support the stresses placed on it, backs feel stronger and more protected.

The link between super abs and a healthy back is becoming well known, and most people now devote at least some of their workout to abdominal conditioning. Some even keep records of the number of sit-ups they do on mats or with machines. Why then are so many disappointed when they are unable to obtain flat, washboard tummies or they are still victims of lower back pain and discomfort?

The problem is the way in which traditional sit-ups and ab-machine exercises are performed. These exercises strengthen the superficial rectus abdominis muscle, a muscle that is not as crucial for supporting the back. In addition, in full sit-ups, the powerful hip flexors aid the movement so you get strong hip flexors and not strong, deep abdominal muscles as desired. Many repetitions with rapid speed can aggravate lower back pain. Crunches can also pull neck muscles and round the shoulders, causing neck pain.

To obtain a trim, effective abdominal powerhouse, we need to pay attention to how exercises are performed. Vigorous, swift crunches work the abdominals but cause them to become short and contracted. We need to strengthen the abdominals but also to lengthen them. We also need to target the abs' deeper transversus and oblique muscles.

Kneeling on your hands and knees is an effective position to teach the action of drawing the deep abdominals up and in. Image a thick cord connecting the belly button to the back of the spine. Other people use the image of a tiny ice pick poking into the lower belly to get their students to hollow out the abdominals. Lynne Robinson, the famous British Pilates author and teacher calls this subtle movement "zip up and hollow." "Imagine you are zipping the muscles from the pubic bone up to the navel," she writes, "as if you were getting into a pair of jeans that are too tight."

Oblique conditioning is also important because we do not use these crisscross abdominals as much as the others. Lie on your back with knees bent and place a small ball or a tennis ball between the knees to keep the abdominal connection. Do this exercise slowly and precisely, keeping the pelvis in neutral. With each exhale, keep the elbows wide and think of sliding the rib cage toward the opposite hipbone. Inhale to lay back on the mat and exhale to bring the rib cage across the body as you squeeze the tennis ball gently. Repeat eight times on each side in a slow controlled manner.

Once you have created a strong stomach powerhouse, you can safely and efficiently add movements of the arms, legs and torso. If the exercises are performed properly, the goal of a trimmer waistline can be reached.