Selma, using our abs.

Hi Everyone. I am back. Our phone line is in bad shape so I could drop out of cyberspace again at any time.

Selma, I understand exactly what you are saying about the difficulty in figuring out what your abs should be doing during lifting. I have posted this answer separately from your post about lifting and bracing because it covers more.

There are three groups of abdominal muscles. They keep our abdominal contents in by supporting horizontally (transversus abdominus - TA), lengthwise (rectus abdominus - RA) and diagonally (oblique internus and oblique externis).

TA is the deepest. It goes around the body on each side, from lumbar fascia attached to the spine on one side around to the linea alba, centre front. It extends from the underside of the ribs at the top to inguinal ligaments at the bottom. It is all linea alba/ligament/tendon from there down to the pubic bones. These are the muscles that form a sling under the pregnant belly and give us a waist line and allow us to pull the tummy in.

Next outwards are the internal obliques. These start at the lumbar fascia and go diagonally upwards and towards the sternum, joining into the linea alba as well. (There are some of the lower fibres that also go downwards, following the shape of the iliac crests to the linea alba). These are twisting muscles with some flexing function.

Next outwards are the external obliques. These start at the outer surfaces of the lower eight ribs, which point diagonally downwards. They go diagonally downwards to the iliac crest and forwards to the linea alba as well. These are also twisting muscles with quite a bit of flexing function. The two layers of obliques act together to pull the chest down towards the iliac crests.

Both sets of obliques are important in walking and running too.

The surface muscles are the RA. These are two quite narrow bands of vertical muscles on either side of the linea alba that originate at the pubic symphysis and lower pubic bones and insert into the bottom of the sternum (xyphoid processes) and the rib cartilages near the sternum. These are spine flexing muscles. As they are a pair they have a little twisting function. They also lift the pubis and lock down the ribs. They have important individual flexing and twisting roles in walking and running. These are the six pack (the male peacock feathers ;-) ). They are not large muscles but they can be made to look large by bringing the pubis upwards and depressing the chest. This gathers them up and makes them six-packey. It is probably the action of contracting the obliques that makes the six lumps appear.

Basically, together they all stabilise the abdominal contents and twist and flex the spine from the front. They are parts of the system that stabilises the spine and pelvis. They are *not* the core. They are only the abdominal part of it. There is not a lot of muscle fibre in the TA and obliques extending below the level of the ASIS (front corners of the iliac crests). The RA does go all the way to the pubic symphysis.

We can use them in lots of ways because together they are a 3 D system. One of the most useful ways of using the abdominals is during bending and lifting. We can brace the abdomen by contracting both sets of obliques and fixing the respiratory diaphragm. This makes the belly hard and pushes the lower belly outwards, making the whole abdomen into a rigid, fat sausage to keep the spine stable and protect the spinal discs. You also need to use your TA a bit, and the RA a bit. Have a poke into your belly and around the sides, in different spots, and feel how hard or soft they are. It will feel harder in some parts than others. Do some movements, eg leg lifts or torso twists while poking, and you will feel hard bits become soft and soft bits become hard.

Between ASIS's and pubic symphysis (your lower belly) it will feel quite soft unless your RA's are fully engaged. This is where your bladder and uterus hide, out the front. This is a soft area because the TA and the obliques are joined at the bottom to the inguinal ligament, not to bone. This means that the lower belly is like a soft, inverted triangular sail with the inguinal ligaments being the two sides and the pubic symphysis being the inverted apex. These two ligaments are like bow strings. They don't really stretch, but they bend and distort when the TA or obliques are loaded, allowing the lower belly to distend, even when the abdomen is braced and hard! Clever, eh?

If you contract your RA too much when bending from the waist, it will pull your tummy in, tilt your pelvis back and move your centre of gravity backwards, so that your bladder and uterus move back and over the vagina, where they are vulnerable to intraabdominal pressure, generated by abdominal bracing. Therefore they are not safe. This is why we say to bend more from the hip joints, relaxing your belly forwards, and allow your belly to become large and firm when lifting, with your butt stuck out and your spine extended, which stretches the RA muscles and prevents them from pushing your bladder and uterus backwards.

I hope you will have a play with your abs. It really is the best way to understand their functions. An anatomy book is also an essential tool, so you can understand the anatomical names I have used, and relate what is happening in the diagrams of muscles and bones to what is happening in your actual muscles and bones.

Poke on.

Louise