Getting Scientific (sort of) #2: Why Abs are Cool, Bro (and Putting a Face on it)

Not only because abs are sexy when you have them, but because they increase your lifts, your athleticism, your speed, your stability.

Whatever sport you enjoy, working your abs is a great way to improve efficiency and power in that sport.

Affected exercises from ab work include:

Squats

Deadlifts

Military and Push Press (which translates over to many overhead movements, such as the Clean and Jerk)

Why is working your abs important and how do they improve your power, efficiency and stability? Weak abs (more scientifically, serratus anterior, rectus abdominis, rectus sheath, iliac crest, linea alba, external abdominal oblique, otherwise known as "those six-pack or 2-pack things under your shirt) cause weaknesses in other parts of your body, which then cause pain, instability, and poor flexion/mobility.

Everything in the body works with everything else. Once we understand that, we start to stop treating our bodies like they're that old exercise bike or your asshole boss and start actually treating it like it’s our damn temple.

Some people want to see their abs, some don’t. I’m still sitting between that middle ground, but getting more to the “don’t care if I see them or not” crowd, only because I have switched gears from bodybuilding to powerlifting, so I have been eating more carbs in order to gain more leverage in my lifts.

Just because you can’t see them doesn't mean they aren't nice and strong, though. My favorite ab move lately has been side bends. If done correctly, these can help build a strong and stable mid-section, which will translate over to your big lifts. I personally am not a big fan of working my abs, but I do it not for how pretty they can be, but for the translation into my lifting weight and putting it down again.

Speaking of, it’s high time I put a face to this blog, so here you go. Granted, I’m no figure competitor and I don’t have a ton of muscle (yet) but I started this blog, hoping to begin teaching you what I am currently learning, to get my ideas out there and to become more well-versed on the subject of the human body in general.

Me, at 171 Pounds, 25-ish Weeks out from the Meet

See you in The DUNGEON.