Ok, last installment we chewed through a lot of dry stuff about muscles, and I promised this time that we would get to some better stuff, and include a few training tips. Having said that, this trip around we are going to talk about a few sets of muscles that may be the most important you have for any athletic event.
Quads? Hamstrings? Lats? No, no no no! We are talking about the midsection muscles, the abdominals (Rectus abdominus, internal and external obliques), and the back muscle group known as the spinal extensors, or erector spinae. This group actually comprises many different muscles, but they are known in this collective form, and the exercises are the same for the entire group.
What makes these muscles so important? One word-stability. The more stable these muscles are, the smoother it makes your swimming and running, and helps prevent and mitigate that bent over, can't straighten up feeling after tucking on the bike for hours on end. Additionally, the obliques are what help turn your torso side to side, which will help with that roll/stretch combo you have been trying to perfect in your freestyle stroke. Additionally, if these muscles are not toned, then other muscles in the body have to do more work to help balance the body during weight shifts, which drains your energy faster.
Your abs (Rectus Abdominus) originate on the pubis (Part of the pelvis, around the genitourinary area), and run all the way up to insert on the lowest ribs. Their action is to flex (Curl) the spine in a forward direction. They also help to protect and stabilize the internal organs. They also help with your balance.
There are two sets of obliques, the internal and the external. The externals originate along the lower eight ribs, and attach along the iliac crest (Top of the hipbone), as well as the linea alba (This is a sheath of connective tissue that runs from the lower part of your breastbone down to your pelvis. If you look at a picture of 6 pack abs, it is what causes the line down the middle.) The internal obliques are just the opposite, the originate on the pelvis/linea alba, and run to the 8 lower ribs. These muscles are primarily responsible for rotating the torso, and bending the spine side to side.
Finally, the erector spinae. This is a generic term for several sets of muscles that run from your tailbone/hip girdle area, all the way to the top of the spine. There are a few that run all the way, as well as a lot that run in between each vertebrae. They are responsible (primarily) for extending (arching) the spine, as well as moving the ribcage.
All of these muscles help control movement of the torso, breathing, and especially balance. If they are not in the best of shape, that means other muscles have to help out, which takes more energy away from the prime goal, racing!
Well, that's all great, but how do we train these? There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about how to train the abs, tons of videos, etc. I am going to show you some basic exercises that will help build and tone all of these muscles. CAUTION! If you have had or currently have back problems, talk with a trainer or sports doc. If you do these incorrectly, they can cause further harm.
Abs are the among the most exercised "trophy" muscles. Everyone wants that washboard stomach. They are also the most widely MIS-exercised muscles in the body. The traditional sit-up means hoisting your body up at the hips to touch your elbows to your knees. Not only does this not exercise the abs (It mostly exercises a set of hip/leg muscles), it can lead to injury from tugging on your neck. There are two easy ways to exercise your abs.
Exercise #1 : Lay flat on the floor, legs drawn up at an angle, feet flat on the floor. This is similar to the "oldstyle" situp position. Place your hands on opposite shoulders, elbows pointing at the ceiling. Now try to touch your elbows to your hips by "curling" your upper body into a ball. You probably wont be able to get all the way there (At least I cant....), but you should feel a tension in your midsection just below your breastbone down to about your navel. Hold this for a second or two, then slowly relax back down. These muscles respond just as well to a slower movement, so there is no need to thrash back and forth like a whale trying to unbeach itself. ;-)
Exercise #2: This is similar to the first exercise. Lay on your back with your hands palm down on the floor along your body (Or extended out in a cross type fashion.) Bring your knees and legs up to your body (Think of the old cannonball dive position, except don't wrap your hands around them.) Now "curl" from the bottom up, trying to drive your knees through your shoulders. Hold and relax.
Don't be alarmed if you can't do many of these. If you haven't trained your abs properly before, then it may take a while before you can do a lot of them. Also, this will help to reduce the midsection some, as you tighten up the muscles, but it will NOT "spot reduce" those love handles. For you to do that (And to be able to SEE that 6 pack that is now there), you have to get rid of the fat covering the area.
The second mistake a lot of people make is to train the abs and not train the back erectors. This creates a muscle imbalance, and can be a large factor in causing some back pains. This is a rule of thumb in muscle training...if you train one set, you need to train the opposing set of muscles.
There are back extension machines at most gyms, and you can have a trainer show you how to use them properly. Or, you can do this one at home. Lay face down on the carpet with your hands extended over your head in the "superman" flying position (Hmmm...note to self...Arm and Hammer Rug deodorizer needed). Now, lift your head to look forward, and at the same time raise one arm and the opposite leg off the floor. You don't need to really arch, a couple of inches will do it. Hold for a couple of seconds, then relax. Do this with the other arm/leg. The more you can arch, the better, but again, don't push it at first. (This will also help in the swimming, when you pick your head straight up out of the water to buoy sight while stroking.)
And, those pesky obliques. Again, these are rarely exercised except by competitive bodybuilders. There are two different exercises that will work these muscles.
Exercise #1: Get yourself onto a slant board (A situp type board that slants, found in 99% of all gyms). Place your hands on your shoulders like you would for ab exercise #1, and come a few inches up off the board (This will also help train the abs.) Now try to curl your elbow to the opposite knee. Hold a few seconds, then relax. Repeat for the other side. Again, if you haven't done this much, you may only be able to do a few.
Exercise #2: Stand straight up, and hold a 5 or 10 lb dumbbell in your hand. (No, put your brother-in-law DOWN! Now, grab the metal one...that's it...) Place your free hand flat against your leg, and try to slide it down your leg to your knee. Hold for a second or two, and relax. Do a few on one side, and then switch to the other side.
Well, that's about it for the exercises. Once you start getting these muscles into shape, the rest of your workouts should be a little easier. I have coached a few people that always complained of lower back pain a couple of miles into a run. Once they started toning the back erector muscles, the pain lessened and disappeared. (NOTE: I am not promising anything...YMMV ;-) ) You may also notice a general lessening of your fatigue levels during workouts. I must stress again though, if you haven't been doing any of these, or have any history of back pains, check with the trainer or a sports doc before performing any of these exercises. See you in the next installment! (Hmm...what to do, what to do...).
Every time you walk, settle into a chair, or hug your child, you're using your bones, muscles, and joints. Without these important body parts, we wouldn't be able to stand, walk, run, or even sit.
No comments:
Post a Comment