The Genius of Your Abs

Whether you believe in creation or evolution (or both) there is no denying the genius of the abdominals. It is not up to humankind, in my humble opinion, to find out for sure if abs were created by some divine force billions refer to as "God" or by some millions-of-years in the making natural process.

Who is to say for sure why the muscles in our abdominal cavity (four layers of them) resemble a packing-tape wrap job at your local mail delivery shop?

This seemingly simple yet highly effective design protects our internal organs, just as bubble wrap, a box and tape protect valuables on a cross-country flight.

Keeping with the packing tape analogy, the abdominal muscle fibers run horizontal, vertical and diagonal. It is a good idea to both strengthen and stretch the abs in those three planes.

The abs take up more room than most people realize. They stretch from the bottom of the breast plate to the pubic bone. If you sit at a desk for several hours at a time at work, try and make an effort to stretch your hidden eight-pack every day.

A simple but highly effective stretch: Stand up and stretch your arms overhead. Take a few inhales, then exhale and raise your arms to the sky. Keep your chin up to a level that's comfortable. With every exhale, raise your arms higher.

Optional, for further stretch: lean your arms into the top of the doorway, or one arm at a time on either side of the door.

The QL muscle (Quadratus Lumborum) is often thought of as a deep muscle of the lower back, but it's actually the much forgotten deepest abdominal muscle. Because the QL, (located in the lower back next to the muscles that keep the spine upright) helps tilt the pelvis to the side, that's another good reason to perform movements in all planes of motion, specifically for the QL, to the side.

Perform multi-plane movements daily using one of the following methods:

- static stretching
- dynamic stretching
- aerobic training
- strength training
- walking