I got a little “science-y” on you last week, so I want to
keep it a little easier on the brain this time. I promised a continuation of
the core muscles on my last blog, and, since we went pretty “deep” last time I
thought we’d be a little more superficial this time! Pun intended!
Today’s muscle is definitely one of the most asked about by
my clients, it is the one muscle- most people will train, it is usually trained
incorrectly, and it is almost always on a magazine cover every single month. What
is it? It’s the rectus abdominis. It’s
not what it sounds like (ehem cough cough) it is the coveted “six pack.” Except…it
is actually an eight pack! That’s right, the abdominals, or to be more accurate, one of the abdominal muscles. But, don't worry, you will be meeting the rest very soon!
The rectus abdominis is
considered a superficial muscle, because it is close to the surface of the
skin. Its appearance is softened by a layer of abdominal
fat, so the “8 pack” or eight different segments of this muscle are not usually
visible. And, if they are visible, most
people only notice a “six pack” because, the first three sections have
tendinous intersections (seperations) that create the definition between them, and the linea alba
(white line) which divides the right and left sides of this muscle making each of them the
more visible. The lower two are not as
obvious as they are longer and attach at the pubic bone. Needless to say, there
are eight of them! But, it doesn’t matter if you can see them or not, what
matters is that you understand how they work, or don’t work, for your body.
Where it’s at -This
muscle originates at the top of the pubis crest and pubis symphysis and inserts
on the 5th, 6th & 7th costal cartilages,
medial inferiorcostal margin and posterior aspect of the xiphoid. OMG THERE SHE
GOES AGAIN! WHAT?! I KNOW- I promised! (I actually talk like this!).
Okay, so here is a not-so-scientific
version of that. It begins at the top of the pubic bone, and connects to
cartilage that attaches the ribs to the sternum and the lowest dangly part of
the sternum. It has six seperations, tendinous intersections, between them and
the linea alba (white line), which runs down the center dividing the two sides,
right and left. (see depiction below).
By law- one dimension and two dimension anatomy pictures cannot be copyrighted. Artist's name was not provieded.
What it does-The
rectus abdominis is responsible for the forward flexion of the lumbar spine
(L1-L5), bringing the rib cage towards the pelvis (think of scooping in the
belly button area), helps with forced expiration, and raising the
intra-abdominal pressure— like, when you push down for a bowel movement. It also assists in bending sideways and stabilizes the trunk when
you are lying down and you raise your head up. Another important note on the
core, this muscle is responsible for tipping the pelvis forward (bringing the top back and the bottom forward) which helps the
proper positioning of the erector spinae (another core muscle).
Here is a REALLY REALLY cool thing to know! The tenidinous
intersections mentioned above actually allow you to bend at varying degrees so
you can activate only what is needed. If you need to bend a little bit- you will
activate the first two sections, if the degree of bend you need is tighter- then
you will activate the first four, and so on and so on, pretty cool huh!
Why it’s important to
a dancer- Now that we know what it is, where it’s at, and what it does, let’s discuss how it’s used as a belly dancer! Where do we begin?! There are actually a lot of ways you are going
to use this muscle, but, the moves that come to mind are the undulation and the
camel. Both of these moves require the rectus abdominins to scoop in and pull the pelvis up
and then release in order for these moves to be well defined, in fact-
repeatedly in some cases. You will also use your rectus abdominis while
“popping” your lower abs in and out for an accent. Be careful, you can easily overuse
this muscle and create unwanted torque, particularly in the camel. Another way this muscle is used is that it assists with stabilization during side bends or sways, and the coveted floor work. More specifically, floor work with a sword somewhere on your head! And also Turkish drops.
How to strengthen it - One
of my favorite moves to put my clients through is pretty difficult, so I’ll
give you two levels, and level 2 will be noted in the parentheses.
Begin by collecting either a broom handle, resistance band, or extremely light weight medicine ball 2 lbs., or 2 lbs dumbbell (or pair of heavy dumbbells if you are extremely fit). Lay on your back with your knees slightly bent (raise your
legs up into table top at 90* angle). Take your object/s of preference and place it over your
chest (the nipple line to be exact) as if you were going to do a chest press and begin to raise your
shoulders off the floor, as if you were trying to push the object to the ceiling. You will notice that as the shoulders lift off the ground the angle of the shoulders change, however-- the shoulders are actually fixed. This is only because the upper body is changing from flat, to facing diagonally. This is expected.
*If you choose to raise your legs this will target
the tilt of the pelvis we are desire and emphasize the scooping in of the rectus abdominis. By doing this it removes the hip flexors from
taking over. All too often, the hip flexors take over in most sit ups. Try to raise the legs off the ground, even if it is straight up in the air for better rectus abdominis recruitment in all your rectus abdominis exercises.
Repeat this for 12 repetitions and build up to three sets over several weeks 6-12 weeks. And you can perform this move as often
as three times a week, with one day off in between if it is weighted. If it’s done with body weight only you can
do it every day. If you need more clarification, email me using the contact option and I will help answer your question. I sense I need to add a video for some of these in the future. This exercise is for those with no health concerns and feel they have a clear understanding of how to perform this move. Always follow the advice of your physician.
How to Stretch it-
The rectus abdominis feels SO GOOD when you stretch it! And, it’s one of the
easiest to stretch. I like to stretch this muscle on the stability ball, but if
you have a bad back I suggest you go very slowly and play it by ear. If you
feel discomfort, STOP! This stretch is for those with generally no health concerns. Always follow the advice of your physician.
This move is a
lot like a supported back bend. Begin by sitting on top of a stability
ball. Walk your legs forward as your
upper body lowers onto the ball. Once you are lying horizontally, slowly walk
your feet towards the ball moving your upper body off the ball and off the back, as
if you were performing a supported back bend. Begin with only allowing the head
and shoulders to round off the back at the top of the ball and make sure the
top of your butt is touching the ball as well. If you can’t do this, your ball
is either too big or too small for you!
Hold this for about 20-30 seconds. You only need this once!
FACTOIDS-
1) The button you use to blow up a stability ball is actually the side of the ball. Always place the button sideways and sit on the top.
2) Also, if you have a hard time getting a stability ball to stay in place, place the button on the floor. It will roll a bit, but generally will stay in place.
3) Balls deflate when they are stored in cold rooms as cold air is less dense. Check your balls in the winter and make sure they properly inflated!
Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment