Back in an old post I railed a bit on exercise machines. Especially seated ab machines. You can see it here.  So if this kind of exercise approach is a waste of time and effort. If it does spell trouble for your back. What to do then?

I guess it really depends on what you want and what you care about. If you want stronger, more flexible and good looking abs (provided you dump the fat that’s covering them up) AND a healthier GI tract that gets a good healthy “massage” then this is one way to go.  If you want a magazine six pack which in most cases is pure fiction) , a tight (and sometimes painful) back, posture that isn’t so great, a bound up GI tract and abs that really aren’t as strong as they look….then that is another way to go.

I don’t know about you but I’ll always take the first way. I prefer the Buckminster Fuller approach to exercise. Old Bucky used to say that form follows function which only means exercising in the way the muscles and body were designed to move. If you can do that regularly, with effort and good breathing, then the form (tighter or bigger muscles) you are looking for will come around. That is of course provided you have FIRST made the effort to take care of all the fat hanging off your body, which of course takes your time and attention.  You have to pay attention to what and how much is in your feed bag every day, and be doing some kind of cardiovascular exercise. Walking for unfit people and more intense cardio stuff for the more advanced, but I digress……………

Understand what the “function” of your abs are. They aren’t really there to assist you in bobbing up and down on your back like a They assist with breathing. They hold your spine in place. They support your organs. They are part of your “center.”  Ok, ok   yeah nowadays the trendy term is “core” but I can’t bring myself to say it too often anymore so I am calling it your “center.”  Your spine (neck to tailbone), hips and all four abs are part of your “center.” So…..let’s exercise them that way.

To get your abs cooking let’s…….hold on, before you throw yourself on the floor to pound out hundreds of crunches,  find out how you breathe.  Your diaphragm is now going to be your best friend here. FIRMLY  press your fingers directly underneath and up into your ribs.  Your fingers are now on your diaphragm. Take an inhale then an exhale. Which way do your fingers move when you breathe in and out? If they move in as you exhale you (like many others out there) breathe in reverse, and that means half breaths,  no internal organ “massage,” overworked shoulders and less strength in your midsection. You have a disconnect  going on and you need to fix it. Unless of course you don’t care and want that second option above. In that case what are you ever reading this for???

Press your fingers up into your diaphragm and concentrate. You may have never, ever have taken the time to think about your breathing so it may surprise you how out of touch you are with something you do all day and night.  Concentrate on beginning every inhale at your diaphragm. Not in your throat or your shoulders or anywhere else except your diaphragm. It may only first be a short inhale. That’s ok, keep practicing and you’ll get it. Feel your diaphragm pressing out as you inhale and going in as you exhale. Do this for at least 5 minutes a day until you have gained better control and reversed the situation. I first learned this stuff when I was becoming a Yoga instructor way back when. I really and finally “got it” when I watched a sleeping baby breathing. There it was in plain sight. Stomach (diaphragm) going out as he inhaled and going in as he exhaled. Guess what? You did the same thing when you were that age. For whatever reason ( I have my theories) many people lose this basic breathing pattern, and never take full breaths again, and if you can’t do that you can’t work your abs in our form follows function way.

Old time strength guys like John Grimek were very much in touch with abs and breathing.  If you ever take the time to read old time strength training books from the 30’s or earlier, there are always chapters and or lessons on breathing. How it aids in “mid section” strength and digestion. Going back even further….Yogi’s knew all about these benefits.  It’s nothing new, just tried and true information to help us all live a little better. Stay tuned for ab exercises to put on top of your newly operating diaphragm.

Best,

Robert