4 Pillars in Training the Abdominal Wall

4 Pillars in Training the Abdominal Wall: Core Training

Abdominal or "core" training is extremely popular. Traditional approaches have focused on sit-ups, while today, abdominal hollowing is the new trend. Core training should be as functional as possible and involve all the muscles of the core. The diaphragm, pelvic floor, oblique abdominals, transverse abdominus, rectus abdominus, as well as the lumbar spine musculature, should all participate in a well-coordinated manner.

Four Pillars in Training the Abdominal Wall

. Respiration: A common practice in gyms is to exhale with exertion.

Unfortunately, many strenuous tasks occur when fatigue is setting in. If spine stability is compromised when one is gasping for air, the natural result will be low back injury. For all abdominal exercises, it is important that the patient is cued to maintain normal respiration.

. The diaphragm: A novel approach to achieving stronger co-activation of all abdominal wall muscles is to observe the position of the anterior chest wall. An elevated position is synchronized with the inhalation phase of respiration and will inhibit the normal postural function of the diaphragm. It is noted that the

thoraco-lumbar (T/L) junction is hyperlordotic and the diaphragm is oblique in this position. The "exhalation" position is believed to be facilitory of the abdominal wall, since active exhalation is produced by the abdominal muscles.

. The abdominal brace: Co-contractions have been shown to occur automatically in response to unexpected or sudden loading and to have a stabilizing effect. One is a voluntary pre-contraction to stiffen the spinal column when faced with unexpected perturbations. The second is an involuntary, reflex contraction of the muscles quick enough to prevent instability following either expected or unexpected perturbations. 

. Neutral spine posture: The fourth pillar for spine stability is maintenance of a "neutral spine" or normal lumbar lordosis. Many patients perform a posterior pelvic tilt, which actually places the lumbo-sacral spine in flexion and thus can potentially harm the disc via end-range loading in flexion. The "neutral zone is the inner region of a joint’s range of motion (ROM), where minimal

resistance to motion is encountered.

Source: Dynamic Chiropractic – August 13, 2007, Vol. 25, Issue 17, By Craig Liebenson, DC