Poor
abdominal muscle function can significantly contribute to common pain syndromes.
Improved
abdominal muscle function can also enhance athletic performance.
The abdominal muscles function as spinal flexors, rotators and lateral flexors, as well producing spinal stiffness and stability.
Not exact matches
The study suggests that early in the evolution of the tortoise body plan a gradual increase in body wall rigidity produced a division of
function between the ribs and
abdominal respiratory
muscles.
Along with diet, workouts that strengthen
abdominal muscles support optimal digestive organ
function.
Planks are good for integrating the entire core and improving it
function, training all of the
muscles of the
abdominals, lower back and more.
Because they have unique designs and
functions that stimulate the
abdominal muscles more effectively.
These include altered and / or decreased immune system
function (possibly linked to infections and allergies), collagen loss (think wrinkles), decreased
muscle synthesis, increased
abdominal fat, bone breakdown, decreased intestinal immunity (possibly leading to GI infections), damage to the lining of the intestines (or leaky gut syndrome), increased stomach acid secretion (think heartburn and ulcers), hippoacampus destruction (leading to problems with circadian rhythm, memory, and causing a feed - forward vicious stress cycle), increased blood pressure, thyroid hormone imbalances, «shutdown» of the reproductive system (possibly leading to miscarriage or infertility), and more.
Strong
abdominal muscles positively support a person in daily
function, sports, and physical health.
Hypopressive / Low Pressure Fitness exercises are a blend of postures with specific breath work that activate the deep core
muscles in order to improve
abdominal wall and pelvic floor strength, as well as cardiovascular
function.
Boxers, however, train their
abdominal muscles to
function.
This is the common condition of poor
functioning abdominals with low tone, and back
muscles that are too tight.
However, an important point of my article is that conscious awareness of
abdominal action — being able to feel the
muscles contract and retrain them as needed — is vital to improve the
function between brain and body, thereby allowing the
abdominal muscles to perform their job whether you are aware of them or not.
And finally, another reason to perfect your pelvic floor
muscle function is because properly contracting and releasing that area connects to your deepest layer of
abdominal muscles... which means truly flat strong lower abs!
The ability of the pelvic floor
muscles to perform their desired roles depends on the tensegrity of the entire web and
function of all of the surrounding structures, especially the gluteals, diaphragm, and core
abdominals.
Restoring optimal
function of the core
abdominal muscles and learning how to properly relax the pelvic floor
muscles for bowel movements can help to decrease the overall pushing and strain required.
Transversus abdominis is the deepest of the
abdominal muscles and wraps around the abdomen between the lower ribs and top of the pelvis,
functioning like a corset.
Indeed, a primary
function of the
abdominal muscles is to stabilise the spine (Cholewicki & McGill, 1996).
Owing to the attachment sites of the
abdominals, the
muscles are likely to
function during similar tasks.
Teyhen et al. (2007) reported that these
muscles function to provide mechanical stability to the spine by contracting against the intra-
abdominal pressure of the
abdominal cavity and thus increasing the stiffness of the lumbar spine against external loads.
But just contracting the
abdominals sufficiently and regularly in the course of the day as described above can significantly help improve
muscle function and reduce or eliminate pain.