Probably the Ab blast exercise is simplest, and most popular, abdominal exercise is the crunch. The four basic mechanisms of blast injury are termed primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary. Primary blast injuries occur as a result of the blast shock wave. The purpose of this study was to model the response of the thoraco-abdominal system to underwater-blast waves. The effort focused on the dynamics of submersed gas bubbles because previous studies had shown that most injuries occurred to the gas-containing organs and the immediately adjacent tissues. Experiments were conducted to obtain data for use as input in the development of a model.

In order for an abdominal exercise to be at all effective it should be performed in a specific recruitment pattern or sequence. Consider the following training recipe when designing your next core/abdominal exercise routine and have a “BLAST” awakening and redefining your center of power!

Base: the base of support should be stable especially in the beginning. The greater the surface area that you occupy when performing the exercise the more stable the exercise feels, the less demanding it will become. A curl up performed with feet on the floor is less challenging than performing the abdominal curl with both feet in the air.

Levers: once stability in the base is achieved then a lever can be altered to increase the level of difficulty. A longer lever away from the core increases the load to the core thus demanding greater recruitment for these muscles. Recall how much more challenging a hover is when performed from the toes vs. the knees.

Action: once the levers are added successfully you are ready to introduce additional activity or movement. This can be achieved by incorporate diagonal, rotational and planar movements’ ie- rotation, diagonal patterns that cross the midline etc.

Surface: it is important to consider the use of Strengthseries moveable surfaces, underneath the exercising participant ie-Stability ball, a BOSU board, a Reebok CORE board. Research shows that performing curl up exercises on moveable surfaces increases all abdominal muscle activity especially that of the external obliques. Research shows that performing curl ups on moveable surfaces changes both the level of muscle activity and the way in which the muscles co-activate to stabilize the spine and whole body

Time: taken to perform each exercise/repetition. Consider ‘total time’ vs number of repetitions. A hover performed once and held for 20 seconds will lead to greater ‘useable’ strength than an abdominal curl performed 20 times. Consider slowing down even an abdominal curl and reducing the repetitions. Focus on the breath and recruitment of the deeper abdominal musculature first before you even introduce movement. Make the movement mean something.

No Comments yet

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.