Absolutely Abdominals

An Article by Ruth Sova

Ruth Sova, M.S., an internationally known speaker, author and consultant, is founder of six businesses. She is on the Wisconsin Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, received the Governor’s Entrepreneurial Award, was the recipient of the IDEA Outstanding Business Award, worked on the ACE certification committee, was awarded the first Presidential Sports Award in aquatic exercise, and received AEA’s 1994 Contribution to the Industry Award. She is the author of numerous articles and fifteen books on her specialties of aquatics, fitness, and business.

Offer Abdominals classes

Why? It seems that everywhere they’re offered, they’re popular. They bring in new clients and create new customers for you. They also benefit people with back problems and that can draw an entirely different new client base. Since over 80% of our population will at some time have back problems, why not offer that huge group a good reason to come to the pool?

There are two different ways of meeting the need for these clients. You can offer separate classes (Absolutely Abdominals, Solid Abs, Abba Dabba Abs, etc.) which usually last only 30 minutes. These are a big draw during traditionally busy times of early morning, noon, and evening. They can be offered in shallow or deep water and don’t need music so other “with music” classes can go on at the same time.

Rather than offering a separate class you can add on a 10 to 15 minute abdominal section at the end of a traditional workout or team practice, or abdominal drills can be included in workouts or practices.

Abdominals can be taught without equipment but your clients will find it more effective if some equipment is used. Buoyant handbars can be used in the hands, under the arms or under the ankles. HydroFit ankle cuffs help to position people who are very lean or muscular. Noodles can also work well with a variety of abdominal work.

Here are five basic abdominal exercises to get you started.

Standing Crunches

– Stand with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly flexed. Hold a buoyant handbar against the chest in front of the sternum or xyzphoid process.

1. Use the lower abs to go into a pelvic tilt and flatten the low back.

2. Use the upper abs to press the sternum toward the front of the hip joints. Don’t let the hip joint bend!

3. Relax the upper abs and lift the ribs.

4. Relax the lower abs and low back. Repeat!

Walkus Rectus

Begin by standing in place with a handbar in each hand. Hands are floating out to the sides. Do a pelvic tilt while simultaneously pressing both handbars down and in to touch navel. This is a crunch. (Adjust height of “press down” for maximum effort.) Hold for two counts (1,2) and relax for two counts (3,4). Next begin walking slowly while counting each step up to 4 and repeating. On counts 1 and 2 walk but contract (crunch) and hold the contraction, on steps 3 and 4 relax. Repeat often using a slow stride.

Hanging Obliques

– Hang with elbows and arms in gutter, on a woggle, or with handbars under arms. Be in a sitting position with hips straight down from shoulders. Hips and knees are bent so knees are level with hips and are pointing straight forward.

1. Press your knees to the right while keeping knees together.

2. Press knees forward (not up) to round the small of your back.

3. Straighten back again so knees come back.

4. Move knees back to center (starting position).

5. Repeat left.

Super Supine Set

(2 exercises)

1. Begin in a reclining position with knees at the water surface and feet floating or hanging down. Knees do not move in this exercise. Crunch by pressing your sternum toward your hip joints, pressing the small of your back down toward the pool bottom, and push your hip joints (or pelvis) up. Relax and repeat.

2. Do exactly the same thing (crunch) with the soles of your feet together and knees out.

Hints for Safety and to Ensure Abdonimal Involvement

A. Use the Abdominals, NOT the Hip Flexors

Contract from the top, bottom or both. Try to eliminate moving the hip joint. Use the rectus abdominus.

B. One Spinal Function at a Time

The spine was made to flex, extend, move laterally, circumduct and rotate but not all at one time. If you add other moves to spinal flexion remember that you could be doing one of these things:

1. Using the rectus abdominus less, and other muscles more

2. Compromising the integrity of the low back

C. Keep the Hips Slightly Flexed

Keeping a slight flexion in the hip joint will protect the student from spinal hyperextension. Having students think about maintaining a slight flexion will tighten the hip flexors and should eliminate their accidental use during abdominal work.

D. Maintain a Pelvic Tilt

By having students maintain a pelvic tilt several things can occur. Students will be protecting the lumbar area of the spine from hyperextension. Students will already have the abdominals in an isometric contraction and will be in the correct position for concentric contractions. And, finally, students who are maintaining a pelvic tilt are unlikely to do hip flexion when performing the abdominal exercise.

E. Do only ONE Move at First

Even though you may think it’s boring, students really do like to “get the hang” of something and feel it before trying something else new.

F. Give Visual and Mental Cues

Most students don’t understand what to do if we simply say “contract the abdominals”. Try to think of other hints that can work for them. “Pull your navel back to your spine. Suck and tuck. Tuck your buttocks under. Press your stomach down to the pool bottom. Lift your ribs. Stand up tall. Imagine yourself with the thinnest midriff possible. Make your middle thin.” can all work.

G. Repetitions

As a rule of thumb use at least 16 to 32 repetitions during abdominal work. When first introducing a move, try to use more repetitions.

Ruth Sova, M.S., an internationally known speaker, author and consultant, is founder of six businesses. She is on the Wisconsin Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, received the Governor’s Entrepreneurial Award, was the recipient of the IDEA Outstanding Business Award, worked on the ACE certification committee, was awarded the first Presidential Sports Award in aquatic exercise, and received AEA’s 1994 Contribution to the Industry Award. She is the author of numerous articles and fifteen books on her specialties of aquatics, fitness, and business.

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