The Secret to Getting Abs
Getting Abs
That's a pretty catchy title, isn't it? Because everyone is looking for those #absonabsonabs and the confidence that comes with sporting them.After doing the Mrs. North Carolina pageant, a lot of people commented, "I didn't know you had a abs like that!" That's because I purposely don't. Yes, on a stage under bright lights in front of a panel of people that are literally judging me, I'm going to suck in my stomach and flex my abs. But otherwise, I want a nice, relaxed abdomen with no tension whatsoever. The researcher Stu McGill is quoted as saying, "Show me a six pack and I'll show you a dysfunctional back." He's right.Holding tension in your stomach means you can't use your diaphragm the way that it should be used - as a breathing muscle, but also as a stabilizing muscle. If the diaphragm cannot lower fully, you lose its capability as your main breathing muscle, therefore recruiting less suitable muscles to do its job (such as the upper traps and levator scapulae - hence why you can never get the tension out of your shoulders and neck!), but also as a starting point for stabilizing your midsection.Prior to picking up some heavy weights, I work to create a stable environment to accept whatever load I'm about to move, and actually end up creating what looks like more of a pot belly than a 6-pack. If your diaphragm is stacked on top of your pelvic floor, you have a stable base to work from, and can create intraabdominal pressure by utilizing your diaphragm. Holding in your stomach will not allow you to access this stability. This idea comes from the Prague School, where Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization has been studied and utilized to help decrease spasticity or trigger points in muscles, increase tolerance to repetitive stressors, and improve outcomes for a variety of ailments from upper motor neuron lesions to low back pain. Feel free to take a look at some of their research here: http://www.rehabps.cz/rehab/literature.php. Here's a video I did for BIRTHFIT last year that shows what I mean about using your diaphragm to breathe. Let the tension in your stomach go; simultaneously let go of the idea that a six pack is a good idea!