Exercise

AB-Solutely Fit

Harry Houdini, the magician, used to have people punch him in the stomach as a part of his act. Houdini could keep a straight face while people punched him, even into his 50s. Harry Houdini knew strong abdominals were no illusion, because he worked out daily to strengthen his stomach. He also knew that the key to strong abdominals was consistent training.

Some reasons to make an abdominal work out part of your everyday activity are:

• to maintain good posture
• stability when moving
• prevention of lower back problems
• overall injury prevention
• good looks

The Muscles

• upper abdominals--muscles that run vertically in the upper middle of the abdomen
• lower abdominal--muscles that run vertically in the lower middle of the abdomen
• obliques--diagonal muscles at the sides of the torso
• transverse--horizontal muscles that form the stomach plate

The Exercises

Crunches - Targets your upper abdominals
Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hands can be across your chest or behind your head (do not pull up on your neck). Contracting your abdominal, lift your shoulder blades off the floor, looking up, not toward your knees. Hold for 2 seconds then lower.

Seated Knee Raises - Targets the lower abdominals
Sit on the edge of a chair or bench, holding onto the sides for support with your back straight and upright, legs extended downward but not touching the floor. Contracting your abdominals, raise your knees to your chest

Bar Twists - Targets the oblique muscles
Stand with your feet a little more than shoulder width apart, and knees slightly bent, holding an unweighted bar or broom handle behind your neck on your shoulders. Keeping your hips stationary, twist your torso to the left as far as you can, then right.

Vacuums - Targets the transverse muscles
Stand with your hands on your hips. Take a deep breath, exhale and suck your abdomen up and in as far as you can. Hold for 10 seconds, then inhale and relax.

According to Doug Lentz, State Director for the National Strength and Conditioning Association, one to three sets of 20 to 25 slow, controlled exercises is recommended. Doing two of the exercises daily is enough; you don't need to do all four. A combination of the machines at OSF Saint James' Rehabilitation Center and these exercises should produce punchable results.

Choosing the Right Exercise Machine

A study comparing energy burned by people working out on six types of exercise machines found that the treadmill came out on top. The energy expenditures shown here are average values; individual values will differ depending on body size, fitness and other factors.

Machine Calories Per Hour:

• Treadmill - 705
• Stair-stepper - 627
• Rowing machine - 606
• Cross country skier - 595
• Airdyne cycle - 509
• Cycling machine - 498

Body Fat

Percentage of body fat is the most accurate measure of your weight, not a scale. Have your body fat checked, or rechecked, if you haven't had it done for a while.

For more information, call OSF Saint James Education Center at 815-842-4545.