Strengthen Your Abs! They Help Support Your Back

There are many different parts of your body that help to support your back and lessen the possibility of muscle strain that can cause aches and pains. If you strengthen these areas than you go a long way to helping diminish constant pain and discomfort. Your back is a pivotal part of your general good health. Take care of it and you go a long way to avoiding other medical issues.

Its important to give your spine good support while keeping your body properly aligned. This is often accomplished if you keep your eye on developing good core strength. The term core strength applies to the combination of the ab muscles and your back and how well they can maintain the alignment, support and stability your back requires to remain pain free and healthy. If you haven't got good core strength then this could mean the muscles are weak or misaligned and you need to develop an exercise program to rebuild this strength. Before you begin remember that your muscle strength can also be a reflection of poor posture or a weight problem.

The three main abdominal muscles are the rectus abdominals, the external oblique and the internal oblique. There are so many exercises to choose from when attempting to build ab strength that you must understand first the function of the workout you are about to perform. Many people like to do sit-ups to build ab muscles. Although that will help to strength your hip muscles and the rectus abdominals, it will not do much for the balance and alignment that you are trying to work on. Crunches on the other hand are a superior exercise and strengthen those ab muscles. You can even do from of them sitting at your desk by tightening gently the abdominal muscles. When doing these exercises do not hold your breath, don't arch your back or pull your neck down.

When beginning your exercise program, first do lower abdominal exercises, then the upper abs since the upper supports the lower. Once you have developed a program, try to have it include no more than a half dozen different exercises. Each one should be built up to fifty repetitions. Do not spend more than twelve to fifteen minutes at a time especially when you first begin though its okay to repeat the series later in the day. As these become easy add other more difficult routines to the beginning of your program. Always warm up with gentle stretches before beginning your program.

Some good exercises to begin with are crunches, planks and back extensions. While everyone is familiar with crunches lets review the correct method anyway. Lying on your back, with your knees up and your hands placed on the side of your head, lift yourself off the floor. Begin lifting your shoulders, then as you come towards your knees you crunch your abdominal muscles. Hold this for the count of two then reverse the procedure. Repeat.

When doing planks you begin by first lying on your stomach. Then put your elbows on the floor putting the rest of your weight on your knees. Tighten your abs and stay in that position, keeping your body straight for as long as possible. Then gently let yourself down before repeating this three to five times.

When doing back extensions you begin by lying on your stomach. Then place your hands behind your head, keeping your neck straight, but not stiff. Slowly raise your upper body off the floor, but only a few inches. If you think you can, keep your legs straight and then lift them the same height off the ground. Hold this position for the count off three to five before lowering yourself slowly back down. Repeat.

Strong abdominal muscles also affect appearance. They enhance and improve your posture, which means your standing straighter, walking prouder and showing the world that you take good care of your back.

A strong core means a strong back and strengthening your abs will go a long way towards making that happen. But like any program of exercise, make sure you are healthy before starting and if you have any questions consult your physician or other health provider.