subject: Building A Strong Midsection In The Privacy Of Your Homehere Is How [print this page] Building a strong midsection is as important as having aesthetically looking six abs for a healthy body which can be functional without pulling the low back muscles or getting other related injuries.
So what do I mean by building a strong midsection? Well, it is strengthening your muscles that occupy that region and the different layers that make up the strong foundation of a humans waistline.
Those muscles include the superficial layer such as abdominus rectus and external oblique, and then the deeper muscles like the transversus abdominis and the internal oblique.
There are more deep muscles, but you get the idea of the complexity of the human body. Performing the bench press or chin-ups, as excellent exercises as they are, still will not provide you with an optimal midsection strength. But the following exercises will help greatly.
Here are some exercises that should stimulate those muscles and keep them up to task.
Prone Elbow Bridge
This exercise works the deeper muscles, and in particular the transversus abdominis by performing the isometric contraction.
You simply place your elbows and feet on the floor to create a bridge with your body, and hold the bridge pose for as long as you can (30 to 180 seconds) without swaying your back beyond its normal curve.
Side Elbow Bridge
The Side Elbow Bridge is permitting you to place emphasis on the oblique muscles by placing the right side elbow on the floor, and at the same time you anchor the outer side of your right foot too.
So you will be performing a side bridge and trying to keep the lower side of your body (that is facing the floor) off the floor. Once you are done with the right side then switch to the left side of your body and perform the same pose.
Side Rotations With Resistance Tube
In this exercise you will need a Resistance Tube anchored at one end to a door knob, a railing, or any fixed object.
Pull the tube away from the opposite side until you have enough tension to perform Side Rotations with straight hands.
The Side Rotations will be done twice; once to the left for a specific number of repetitions, and then rest for a few seconds before you do the same thing but now the right side.
