Abdominal Exercise Programs Most Effective When Aimed at Each Individual

(I-Newswire) May 23, 2005 - "One crunch does not fit all," said Michele Scharff-Olson, Ph.D., FACSM, a professor of exercise science at Auburn University, Montgomery. "Trainers, coaches, and the athletes or clients themselves need to know the best set of exercises to reap a desired benefit and avoid danger."

Olson spoke today along with Robert Sherman, a Reebok Master Trainer, to an audience of health and fitness professionals at the eighth annual ACSM Health & Fitness Summit and Exposition. The pair suggests that each individual be classified prior to beginning an abdominal program by their desired outcome: therapeutic/rehabilitation, general health and fitness, or athletic performance. Calling on recent research, the experts explained how a safe and effective program can be tailored for each setting.

"For many athletes, clients, and people generally wanting stronger abs, finding the right set of exercises can be a frustrating challenge," Olson added. "There are so many messages out there from sources claiming to have found the perfect exercise. It confuses everyone."

Olson and Sherman point to an existing trend among the general public to desire a more attractive mid section, but to blindly go about performing many repetitions of the same exercise. She suggests these general recommendations for abdominal exercise:

-- Spend less time overall on abdominal exercises.

-- Work with a trainer or coach to select a greater variety of exercises.

-- Perform only 15-20 repetitions of each exercise.

-- Understand that abdominals are mostly endurance muscles. Do not train them to increase in size as you would a bicep or quadriceps muscle.

-- The best way to achieve a "six pack" of abs is to focus more on lowering total body fat through aerobic exercise and dietary modification. This appearance is more a result of total-body conditioning.

-- Avoid movements that can compress the lower back such as back-lying leg raises, the yoga boat and the advanced Pilates teaser.

ACSM's Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition is going on now at the Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld. For more information on the event, or to speak with staff in the on-site press office, please call (407) 235-7247 (through Saturday, April 17).

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 20,000 International, National and Regional members are dedicated to promoting and integrating scientific research, education and practical applications of sports medicine and exercise science to maintain and enhance physical performance, fitness, health and quality of life.

The American College of Sports Medicine gratefully acknowledges the following Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition sponsors: LifeFitness (Premier Sponsor), Gatorade Sports Science Institute, Gatorade, Reebok (Educational Partner), Amino Vital, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, EAS, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, BSDI, and SPRI Products, Inc.

http://www.acsm.org/publications/newsreleases

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