What's the meaning of 'abs' (abdominal muscles)?

What's the meaning of 'abs' (abdominal muscles)? - welzo

The abdominal muscles (abs) are the product of abdominal exercises aimed at reducing body fat.

what are abs and how do I get them?

Muscle mass forms more than half of total body weight. The majority of muscles in the body are skeletal muscles which are attached to your bones. The abdominal muscles are the skeletal muscles that support the abdominal organs and are the most important target of body reshaping exercises.

What's the meaning of abs muscles?

Do you like a flat and muscular abdomen? If so, you must understand the anatomy of your abdominal muscles abs and the science of shaping them. The abdominal muscles (abbreviated as abs) form the attractive six packs on your body. Which muscle forms the abs? How to build strong abs? Let's understand these topics.

Understand your abs

First of all, you should understand that your abdomen doesn't have one muscle. The abdomen is formed by at least 4 core muscles. These muscles support the internal organs against internal abdominal pressure. Besides these, there are also different deep abdominal muscles. These muscles are;

External oblique muscles

These muscles form the outer layer of the abs and run downward diagonally. These are paired on are right and left.

Internal oblique muscle

These muscles are present just under the external obliques and run up in a diagonal way. These muscles are also paired as the right and left internal oblique muscles.

Rectus abdominis muscle

This is the classic six-pack muscle which you see and imagine as abs. These sheets of muscles start from the ribs and end in the pelvis and help you to flex forward.

Transverses abdominis muscle

This is the deepest muscle of the abs and supports the spine by wrapping the waist. These muscles along with the internal obliques and external obliques are part of anterolateral abdominal wall muscles.

These different muscles work together to produce movements and also maintain internal abdominal pressure. These muscles are present between two sheets of fat (subcutaneous and abdominal fat). The shape of these muscles depends upon the degree of fat. If you have too much subcutaneous fat, it will form a thick covering on the abs making them invisible. Similarly, too much visceral fat will also misshape these muscles.

How to build strong abs?

Building strong and visible abs need workout and determination. The following practical points can help you achieve this goal.

Lower trans fats

Trans fats are the worst thing to do when you are planning to reduce visceral fat. These are labelled as particularly hydrogenated oils in processed foods and should be completely wiped out from your diet chart.

Replace these fats with mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats present in olive oil, almond oil etc...

Get a proper workout

Aerobic exercises are effective at reducing visceral fat and reshaping the abs. Particularly, short stints of high intensity are more effective than long periods of low-intensity exercises. Some studies have also shown that high-intensity exercises cause the release of growth hormone that mobilises visceral fat. However, proper guidance is required to avoid unnecessary abdominal muscle strains.

Conclusion

The abdominal muscles support internal organs and also are an important part of body shape.

If you want to learn more about how to improve your workouts, see our Sports Performance Hub or our Sports Performance Test.

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