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All of us have abs, the medical name is Rectus Abdominis. Its basically the center of our body and we can not function without this muscle.  Rectus Abdominis is a single muscle that binds along the rib cage down to the pelvic bone. On the other hand, there are two other muscle groups that complete the abdominal muscle- the Transverse Abdominus, and the External and Internal Obliques, but these two muscles are invisible component of the abs that make up the six pack that we all desire. The Transverse Abdominus acts as a natural weight belt, keeping your interiors intact and the Internal and External Oblique works to rotate the trunk and brace the abdomen crucial for trunk steadiness.

The Rectus Abdominis is a single muscle, the reason why it is  inconceivable to work different parts of the abdominal muscle physiologically. You oftentimes hear from people “I had to work my abs because they’re missing”, well they can try as hard as they want but if you train your abs you train the whole muscle itself. This doesn’t mean that you should not integrate different sorts of abdominal exercises (i.e. crunches, leg raises, trunk rotation, etc.) into your abdominal training, we just wanted to indicate that you are not going to establish or develop any part of your six pack ab with different exercises. Remember that the lower area of the abs is usually the problem with regards to extra fat storage for most people, especially in males. So oftentimes the problem is not the abs itself, but the adiposity in that area that is covering the lower part of the abs, again this necessitates dietary changes and not particular exercises.

You may say “how can I find it more in my abs when I do hanging leg raises?” Well, this is another fallacy  and we call it as the “I feel it syndrome”, which basically states that as you feel something working in a particular area it will build that area more. From the point of view of muscle physiology this is impossible. It is possible  because of the stress is being applied to a certain part of the muscle, which is often the outcome of that part of the muscle being stretched more, getting micro trauma in that particular area. Even so, this entails absolutely nothing  regarding muscle growth and development. Don’t be confuse with the muscle groups comprising separate heads and tendon attachments, in those situations it is possible to stress individual heads to certain points, an example would be the deltoids. As far as our abs are concerned it is a single muscle and therefore it will grow entirely. Think about it, if you could hasten an area of a muscle and make it grow that would mean that you could actually alter the contour of a muscle, which we know scientifically, that is possible.

There are lots of exercises that can be used for your abs, the most common is a crunch which is also the easiest one, that essentially brings your hips and rib cage together, no more than just a bend of the mid-section. Do not confuse a crunch with a traditional sit-up; in a crunch you do not lift your lower back off the floor or bench. If you are a novice and currently training abs for the first time I  recommend that you start with a basic crunch on a flat surface, and some standing trunk rotation without any weight. Until you establish your abdominal muscles and tractability do not try any advance ab exercises such as weighted or incline crunches, even sit-ups. Doing a sit-up has less of an effect on your abs, and more of  an effect on your Iliopsoas- also known as the hip flexors. In fact, this is the muscle group that people often had a mistake for their lower abs because it is a synergist muscle stabilizing the mid-section when working your abs. This is not to say that these synergist muscles are not important and do not necessitate training, we are just pointing out that most likely that is why you think that you “find it more” on your lower abs.

Why is that abs training essentially necessary? Feeble abs can aggravate to lower back problems. The abdominal muscles help to improve the Erector Spinae by improving the mechanical positioning of the pelvis when it’s tilted forward. Also, if the abs are weak the lliopsoas can pull on spine during hip flexor activities causing trauma to that area. Weak abs can also induce chronic low back pain, and can be responsible for hyperlordosis (i.e. irregular curvature of the spine). So, no matter what your goals are, general fitness, bodybuilding or even power lifting it’s very important to have strong abdominal muscle not just for aesthetic purposes, but functional and injury prevention rationalities.

Oftentimes some people ask “how long should I work for my abs”do remember that the abdominals are a muscle and they require recuperation just like any other muscles, although they do recoup relatively promptly compared to other muscles due to their built-in fiber type. If you’re developing your abs from an injury prevention perspective then you could train them three to four days a week using light loads, e.g. non-weighted crunches, performing three to four sets. Nevertheless, if your are aiming to build your abs either for bodybuilding or sport performance, then you should only train them two to three days a week using more advanced strategy, e.g. weighted incline crunches performing six to eight sets. As far as when to train the abs, it really does not matter you could train them at the beginning of your exercise if you’re prioritizing them. Even so, if you plan to wear them out it may be a good idea to work them last. Since the abs play a major function in stabilization it could impede your performance in compound lifts such as squats. An even better idea if viable for you would be to train them on a day where you work minute body parts and no compound lifts that involve the whole body.