Six pack abs-The rectus abdominis muscle and the big deal about it!!!

Most people pick up the bodybuilding sport with aspirations to build an aesthetic mid-section. The general notion is, you go to the gym regular enough and one day you will crunch your way to a six pack pretty much like those Greek God figures we see on TV and social media pages. Statistically speaking, only 2% of the world population can claim to have a six pack as per bodybuilding.com (generally Athletes who do this for a living) Now, I am not trying to discourage you, this is a quick reality check. It certainly is attainable, however, there are many variables which must be considered on way to building a solid core. But before I answer that question, Is getting a six pack the ultimate goal? Is it an indicator of reaching a highpoint in the sport? Well the answer is both yes and no.

When I started training I would do endless cardiovascular exercises. I remember running on the treadmill for 20 mins, then progressed to 30, 45 and finally an hour. There was tremendous satisfaction. I would weigh myself before and after running and would record my weight drop. As much as I was happy after finishing my cardio workouts, I would have absolutely no energy to train with weights. However, I was losing weight every time I progressed in my cardio and the same lead to burning good amount of calories. Primary reason for the initial weight loss was the shock principle. I was getting back to exercise after a long period of sedentary lifestyle. My body was in a state of shock with this new routine and it helped the purpose. This was enough indication for me that it’s working. After a point I noticed that I lost good amount of weight, however, my body was supple. That’s when I spoke to coaches and tried to understand what was wrong. It was the endless cardio I was doing. Someone told me, if you want a six pack- eat less and run like a mad man. Which is true- eating less will keep you below your maintenance calories and running like Forest Gump will turn into a fat burning machine. What you're doing is expending more calories than you’re consuming as you're in a caloric deficit diet and your activity level is high. This is how I got my abs for the first time. I was proud, and why shouldn’t I be. I was a guy who would weigh 97 kgs with over 25% body fat and now I was 72 kgs with almost 10-11 % bodyfat and ABS!

Was I actually burning more fat than I potentially could? Not at all!!!

Let’s understand why building lean muscle is better for your fat loss goals

One pound of muscle versus a pound of fat-Muscle is more active metabolically than fat. It burns more calories than fat when your body is at rest. Also, muscle takes up less space than fat as it is denser in nature.

Weight training leads to Muscle hypertrophy. What it does is, it increases the size of skeletal muscle through growth in size of its cells. Basically, the individual muscle cells increase in size after a workout. During exercise the muscle is torn which leads to hypertrophy. Your body remains in that state of hypertrophy for a good number of hours post workout. Now, muscle growth is further influenced by nutritional intake. Train hard, eat right and get lots of recovery, and you’ll put on muscle.

So it’s better to be lean and muscular than being skinny fat.

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Now, I mentioned “building a solid core”, why did I do that? Well let me break this down.

The six pack are visible abdominal muscles which are a superficial set of muscles and form the minority of the core anatomy. To put it simply, it forms the cosmetic outlook of your overall core. The core in totality is central to our body and helps in pretty much everything we do. Starting from holding us when we stand and basic functions like moving of hands and legs, including the finger you just lifted to scroll up on this piece was extended through your arm which in turn recruited your core multifidus involuntarily. In short- a strong core helps in efficient physical movement and athletic endurance. Our goal must be holistic and directed towards understanding the core to perform movements beyond the sport.  A strong core equals a healthy functional spinal cord structure which forms the basis of interaction between the brain and the Central nervous system.  Before I list the common indicators related to a weak core, let's understand the anatomy a little bit.

Core Anatomy- The top of the core is called the Diaphragm- and  helps to facilitate breathing. The base is called the Pelvic Floor Muscle- helps in bowel, bladder and sexual function. The layer that wraps the front and side of the core section is called the Transverse Abdominis- which helps in compression and increases inner abdominal pressure and spine stability. And, along the back of the spine, very close to your midline, is the Multifidus- majorly recruited during spine extension, which is bending backwards, sideways and rotational movements and pretty much every time you perform an activity there is passive involvement of your Multifidus muscle. Your Lower back pain is primarily a result of a weak multifidus region.

Here are three broad indicators that can be associated with a weak core.

1. Back pain or sore back almost every now and then.
2. Change in breathing pattern or holding your breath when you lift something or when sitting or getting up.
3. Weak posture-Slouching most of the times when sitting or standing. A strong core will naturally hold your posture upright whether you are sitting or standing.

Any limitation or misalignment resulting from physical movements or poor posture is an indicator of an inefficient overall core engine.

What should you do to engage your core? the simplest yet most effective way to do this is

Get on your 4 limbs and suck your stomach in towards your spine and exhale. Hold your stomach pulled and keep breathing normally while you hold those abs. Your breathing facilitates and engages your core every time you exhale.  Do not deep breathe and do it normally to support your core. This activity done a few times daily will help in activating the overall core muscles and prepare you to engage in advanced core training.

The other exercises which should follow this to build a strong core are listed below. You can look up the details on the internet and include these in your training routine.

Planks, Squats, Deadlifts, Mountain Climbers, Hip bridge, Farmers Walk etc.

A six pack is certainly an achievement and exhibits years of dedication towards the right blend of nutrition, training, and hard work to the sport, however, it is no way an indicator of an optimal functional core.

The new normal has restricted physical activity and confined most of us to the 4 walls of our home. Long hours in front of the desk will reduce physical activity and impair core mobility altogether, hence you must look at conscious core engagement rather than depending on involuntary core movement which as a result of our lifestyle will start to decline in the post corona period.

We lift, therefore we are!