Exercise for Stomach Muscles

The stomach muscles, considered an integral part of the core of the body, are important for movement of the trunk or torso, maintaining posture and supporting the back. Exercise for stomach muscles can help decrease incidences of back pain and improve posture and stability of the body while increasing effective, efficient body motion.

Stomach Muscles - The Basics

• The stomach, also known as the abdomen, is made up of four primary muscles, known as the abdominals, that run vertically, horizontally and diagonally. The rectus abdominis muscle runs vertically from the lower ribs to the pubis bone. It is responsible for trunk flexion or bending. The transverse abdominis runs under the rectus abdominis in a horizontal direction and is responsible for balance, stability and posture. The two muscles which run in a diagonal direction from the ribs to the hips, collectively called the obliques, are made up of an internal abdominal oblique and external abdominal oblique muscle. These muscles allow the trunk to rotate and flex laterally.

Basic Exercise for Stomach Muscles

• A basic, efficient program of exercise for stomach muscles includes the four primary muscles of the abdominal area. Abdominal crunches tone the upper portion of the rectus abdominis. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Tighten your abdominal area with a pelvic tilt. To perform a pelvic tilt, roll your hips up and flatten your lower back to the floor. While your pelvis is tilted and the stomach muscles are tight, lift your head and shoulders off the floor. Maintain the chin a fist's length from the chest and keep your shoulders back. Curl your trunk towards your knees.

  To tone the lower abdominals, begin the pelvic tilt. Placing your hands on your lower abdomen allows you to check for tightening of the muscles. For increased resistance, the pelvic tilt can be performed by lifting one leg up in the air while the other knee remains bent in the starting position. For an advanced exercise, lift both legs and roll your pelvis to flatten the lower back into the floor while lifting your buttocks.

  The oblique muscles are an important and frequently forgotten part of exercise for stomach muscles. To strengthen the obliques, perform an abdominal crunch with a diagonal rotation of the trunk towards one knee then the other. Crunches can be advanced by performing a full sit up, but is not recommended for the beginner or anyone with lower back pain. Attention to the abdominal muscles is an important part of a proper sit up as it is easy to use the shoulder muscles instead of the abdominals to perform the movement.