Know Your Muscles - The Mid-Section

Becoming familiar with the muscles that make up your body has more benefits than simply allowing you to talk shop with your training partners. The more familiar you are with the muscles you're working, the better you'll be able to judge what's needed to make improvements. In this article we'll get to know the muscles that make up the mid-section.

The core muscles of the mid-section do much to stabilize and support the torso so it's well worth spending time to train this area properly. The main muscles of the mid-section are as follows:

1. Rectus abdominis - this is a large flat muscle wall that covers most of the front mid-section from the lower chest to the pubic bone. Above the navel it consists of three pairs of rectangular sections stacked on top of each other and is better known as the six pack.

2. Obliquus abdominis - this muscle runs diagonally along the side of the mid-section from the lower ribcage to the pubic area. There are two muscles on each side, with internal obliques lying underneath the external obliques. The obliques help your torso to flex to the side, twist at the waist and help in bending the torso forwards.

3. Transversus abdominis - this is the deepest of the abdominal muscles and consists of a thin strip that runs horizontally across the abdomen. This muscle helps keep the internal organs in place, forces out the breath and stabilizes the spine.

4. Erector spinae - this large muscle group runs along the side of the lower spine. Consisting of a pair, the erector spinae keeps the spine erect and helps twisting at the waist.

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Advice to learn more about the issues covered in this article.

---

Dumbbell Workouts - A Smart Way To Exercise

Dumbbell workouts have been around for many years, especially as... Read More

Target: Rear Delts: One Simple Movement and They?ll be on Fire!

The Bent-Over Lateral Raise is one of the most common... Read More

Strength Training Strategies that Actually Work

Over the years there has been a surge of different... Read More

Burning Fat

The more muscle a person has, the greater their metabolism... Read More

What Causes Muscle Growth?

In order for muscles to grow, three things are required:... Read More

Maximum Muscle Development with Chaos Training

Chaos is the scientific study of orderly disorder. It offers... Read More

Weight Lifting 101

WHY WEIGHT LIFTING?What's the one thing that you can do... Read More

Building a Better Home Gym

If you're looking to get fit and into shape, home... Read More

Outer Triceps Workout

The outer triceps is an awesome muscle. It sticks out... Read More

Bodybuilding Benefits - The Price for Confidence!

Success came to me at an early age. However, it... Read More

Exercise The Right Way - The Flat Dumbbell Fly

Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More

Arm Training - Building Muscle for Bulging Bis and Tris

Let's face it, most guys who start lifting want two... Read More

Make Sure To Rest For Muscle Growth

One of the best pieces of exercise advice is to... Read More

Know Your Muscles - The Chest And Upper Back

Becoming familiar with the muscles that make up your body... Read More

How Stretching Can Explode Your Muscle Growth

When you think about gaining muscle, stretching is probably not... Read More

Exercise The Right Way - The Wrist Extension

Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More

How To Get Incredible Gains If You Aren?t Getting Them Already... And... How To Get Them Fast!

The key to rapid muscle growth, is to perform all... Read More

The Biggest Muscle Mass Gain Myths Exposed

Performing low repetition/heavy weight workouts will enable you to build... Read More

Back Exercises For Beginning Bodybuilders

From a bodybuilder's perspective one of the most important body... Read More

The How To Guide for Six Pack Abs

First off I want to mention that, for most people,... Read More

Body Part Isolation vs. Complex Movements in Strength Training - Build Real Muscle Instead of Fake!

Working as a fitness professional, there is one type of... Read More

Strong To The Core of Your Being - The Benefits Of Core Training

If you were to ask me which muscle group in... Read More

Exercise The Right Way - The Vertical Chest Press

Other articles in this series looked at a number of... Read More

Lifting for the Love of It!

Over the last couple of years I have taken a... Read More

Planting And Nurturing Your Contacts And Resources

The success level of your bodybuilding endeavors is highly determined... Read More

Train for the Look You Want

So the Olympics are almost upon us. While you have... Read More

Enough Already! Stop Coming Up With New Weight Loss Programs...

Great weight loss techniques are completely worthless.That's a true statement... Read More

The Superset Advantage

Supersets give you the most bang for the buck. They... Read More

Gain Weight Fast With These Ten Powerful Tips! Part -2

By the time you finish reading this you will have... Read More

Muscle and Fitness -- The Second Key To Successfully Achieving Your Fitness Goals

Lets discuss Muscle and Fitness -- The Second Key To... Read More

NO2 Muscle Enhancing Hemodialator

Whenever I go to the gym and tell a friend... Read More

Creating An Anabolic State That Supports Muscle Growth

You can only build muscle if your body is in... Read More

5 Familiar Bodybuilding Troubles...Which Do You Want To Overcome?

In my 3 decades of training experience I have identified... Read More