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Carve Razor Sharp Abs with Roman Chair Bench Situps |
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Written by Stephen E. Alway, PhD, FACSM
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Tuesday, 24 April 2007 |
If you are like most bodybuilders, you let your guard down a little over the holidays and you're now paying the price. While turkey provides you with plenty of protein to grow, some of the extra calories can end up around your waist. Twenty or 30 years ago, bodybuilders were supposed to have good abs only at contest time, but this is 2004 and times have changed. In our post-genomic era, the expectation is that the shape of your abdominal wall is indicative of your overall muscular conditioning. Clearly, aerobic-endurance exercise is useful for reducing body fat stores. Nevertheless, if you increase your muscle mass by resistance training, the rate at which you utilize calories at rest will be higher. What a nice way to lose calories, because you simply carry more muscle!
While most of us would like to have more muscle mass, this cannot be obtained overnight and the abdomen may need immediate attention. To sharpen your abs you need an exercise that tightens (but does not over-stretch) the entire abdominal wall. Most exercises will emphasize the superior (upper) or inferior (lower) part of the abdominal wall, but few exercises provide the constant tension that's supplied by Roman chair situps. As your abdominal muscle wall is strengthened, the "six-packs" will come back into full view. As a secondary benefit, strong abdominal muscles can offset some of the potential injurious forces that might be otherwise absorbed by the intervertebral discs of the lower back during heavy squats, deadlifts or rows.
Muscles Involved
The rectus abdominis is a long, strap-like muscle that is the primary vertical muscle of the anterior abdominal wall. It is separated vertically in the middle by the linea alba, so the abdominal wall appears to have a left and right half. The linea alba is a tendinous sheet that is about half an inch wide and stretches from the xiphoid process on the inferior border of the sternum (sternum = breast bone) to the pubic bone in the pelvis. The rectus abdominis begins on the pubic bone and pubic crest, which is the center of the pelvic bones of the hip girdle. This muscle inserts into the xiphoid process at the base of the sternum and some fibers terminate on the cartilages of the fifth to seventh ribs (near the sternum).
The rectus abdominis has tendinous intersections that create the grooves when it is tensed. Although there is some genetic variability in this "six-pack" look, usually there are three sets or rows of these tendinous intersections. The muscle fibers of the rectus are actually quite short compared to some muscles (like the biceps) and they run almost entirely vertical from one small tendinous line to the next. Therefore, when the rectus abdominis is tensed, the short fibers bulge between the tendinous grooves, almost like small ropes. The thicker the muscle fibers, the greater their rounded rope-like appearance in each block of tissue. When both right and left halves of this muscle contract simultaneously, the trunk is flexed forward so the head and chest move closer to the hips and legs (assuming a fixed pelvis).
The external oblique is the largest and most superficial of the three flat abdominal muscles. It begins along the lower half of the ribs by small bundles of muscle fibers. The muscle fibers run from lateral to medial, in the same direction your fingers would point if you were to put your hands in your pockets. This muscle inserts into the pubic and iliac bones of the pelvis and also the linea alba. When both left and right sides of the external oblique muscles contract, they flex the trunk so the head will move toward the feet. If only one side contracts, the trunk will flex toward the opposite side. For example, if only the right side contracts, the external oblique will twist the trunk and shoulders toward the left side of the body.
The internal oblique is deep to the external oblique muscle and it is therefore not visible. It begins from a thick connective tissue sheath located in the lower back, called the thoracolumbar fascia, and also from the iliac bone of the hip. Its fibers run at right angles to the external oblique muscle, fanning out from their origins and running toward the head (superiorly). The internal oblique inserts into the lowest three or four ribs, where they become continuous with the internal intercostal muscles (respiratory muscles of the rib cage). In contrast to the function of the external oblique, the internal oblique will twist the body toward the right if only the right side of this muscle contracts, and toward the left if only the left side contracts. However, similar to the external oblique muscle, the internal oblique will flex the trunk at the waist and move the head toward the feet, if both left and right portions of the internal oblique contract together.
Roman Chair Bench Situps
This exercise should not be confused with hanging leg raises, which have mistakenly been called "Roman chair raises" by some. The Roman chairbench situp is an exercise that was used by lifters even before the ‘50s and ‘60s. Almost every athlete or fitness enthusiast has included some variations of the situp in their training program from time to time. Each version has its unique advantages and disadvantages, and the Roman chair bench situp is no exception. Perhaps the biggest advantage of the Roman chair bench is that muscle tension can be applied to both superior and inferior regions of the rectus abdominis and oblique muscles and this tension can be maintained from the beginning to the end of the exercise set.
1. Begin by sitting on the padded seat of the Roman chair bench with your knees bent to about 90 degrees and your feet placed under the ankle bars on the bench.
2. Fold your arms across your chest. Slowly lower your upper body backward until your back is about five degrees above a position that is parallel to the floor. Hold this position for one to two seconds.
3. Curl your shoulders and head forward toward your chest and tense your abdomen as you begin the upward movement. This will guarantee that you are activating the upper rows of the rectus abdominis. This is the same type of upper body curl you have when doing crunches.
4. Continue the upward situp with the upper body curled forward, but stop before you obtain a full situp. It's best to stop the upward movement 15 degrees from a full situp. If you rise too high, the resistance from the abdominal muscles will be reduced or completely eliminated.
5. Uncurl your shoulders and upper body as you lower your torso toward a position that is five degrees above parallel to the floor. Hold this position for one to two seconds, then complete the next cycle.
Important Tips
There are several technique errors you should avoid. First, it's important that you do not descend lower than a position in which your back is parallel to the floor (five degrees above a parallel position is the best stopping position). Further downward movement causes a hyperextension of the lower back and compression of the intervertebral discs in the lumbar column (which may lead to injury). Secondly, lowering too far will stretch the rectus abdominis and enlarge this muscle- and who wants to have a bigger and thicker abdomen? If the fibers of the abdomen are stretched excessively, the stomach will take on a rounded and almost bloated, protruding look when relaxed.
Thirdly, if you fail to curl your shoulders forward to start the movement upward and instead pull your upper body straight by anchoring your feet on the foot bar, this will "pike" your torso. This will activate your iliopsoas muscle rather than the muscles of your anterior abdominal wall. The iliopsoas, a deep abdominal muscle, is one of the strongest flexors in the lumbar region and it is active when sitting up from a supine position. If you "pull" your upper body with your anchored feet, the femur end of the iliopsoas will be anchored so that this muscle will do most of the work (rather than the anterior abdominal muscles). Thus, loosely place your feet under the foot post and do not rely heavily on them being anchored to complete each repetition. Finally, make sure you curl your shoulders forward on each repetition.
If you want to increase activation of the oblique muscles, a twist to the left on the ascent will preferentially activate the right external oblique and left internal oblique. The opposite muscles will be active during a twist to the right side. It's a good idea to eliminate holding your breath during any situp, since this increases the intra-abdominal pressure and prevents the abdominal fibers from shortening as much (although it might feel easier to do a situp when holding your breath). If anything, it's good to either exhale as you are doing the situp, or even better, exhale before you do the contraction; then concentrate on achieving a maximal shortening of the fibers during the exercise.
Few abdominal exercises allow such a constant tension as does the Roman chair bench and this induces such an intense continual muscle burn that only the strong of heart will want to persevere. This selective fiber activation and shortening will be the keys to producing razor sharp abs that will make the remnants of the holiday season a mere memory.
References
Andersson EA, Ma Z and Thorstensson A. Relative EMG levels in training exercises for abdominal and hip flexor muscles. Scand J Rehabil Med, 30: 175-183, 1998.
Baxter RE, Moore JH, Pendergrass TL, Crowder TA and Lynch S. Improvement in sit-up performance associated with 2 different training regimens. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther, 33: 40-47, 2003.
Cordo PJ, Gurfinkel VS, Smith TC, Hodges PW, Verschueren SM and Brumagne S. The sit-up: complex kinematics and muscle activity in voluntary axial movement. J Electromyogr Kinesiol, 13: 239-252, 2003.
Lehman, G. J., McGill, S. M. (2001) Quantification of the differences in electromyographic activity magnitude between the upper and lower portions of the rectus abdominis muscle during selected trunk exercises. Phys Ther, 81, 1096-1101
Moore KL, and Daley AF. Cinically Oriented Anatomy. Lippincott Williams & Williams, Baltimore, 4th Edition pp. 1999. 178-187.
Suzuki J, Tanaka R, Yan S, Chen R, Macklem PT and Kayser B. Assessment of abdominal muscle contractility, strength, and fatigue. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 159: 1052-1060, 1999.
Uber-Zak LD and Venkatesh YS. Neurologic complications of sit-ups associated with the Valsalva maneuver: 2 case reports. Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 83: 278-282, 2002.
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