Transversus Abdominis

[TopHatPlus]

Hey, i am working with my mother on her weight loss and personal goals, and she needs some major work on her core and stomach area. I know a lot of great core workouts that work the muscles thoroughly all the way around but they are primarily just for the outer abs.

I want to do this right and like everything in life you need to start at the base and work your way up, so the transverses abdominis it the foundation for your core strength and stability. I have been doing some research and working through some things but theres no real set work outs or information, its all just theories and contradiction.

How do you isolate it?

How do you work it?

How to do you strengthen it?

How can you be sure you have activated it?

I am going to work with a trainer at my gym, do some research and hopefully get some good replies on here to come up with some work outs and i will post my finding.

[JacktheThriller]

what is this core area talk? Is your mother an athlete? What does she need all this core strength for? If you are thinking working core muscles will lead to weight loss around the belly you are sadly wrong. This is been proven wrong many times. It is a myth called spot reduction. Mild overall strength training, cardio and a decent diet should take care of your mothers weight loss goals. Give some more information on your mothers goals and stats if your want more specific advise and help.

[cog]

I take it your mother's midsection is in the kind of shape many mothers find themselves in.She is likely quite weak,and care must be taken.No doubt there could be a lot of opinions here,most you yourself would not find very challenging.

[cog]

Check the TRX core exercises,some easier than others you can choose from.

[Felinecougar]

I'm 54 yrs old.. I have another client I train who is 56. Our core work outs..
Cable ab crunches
Side raises and to perfection
Planks and plank twists
abs on a ball.. and planks on the ball with more twists and ball play
scissors, rope pulls, bicycle

[TopHatPlus]

Hey thanks for the feed back, my mothers midsection is very weak, and i am not looking for these exercises to lose the weight in her mid section, she is putting 18 hours a week into the gym between cardio classes and working out for the weight loss but she has had 6 kids and not looked after her self. I am trying to find an alternative to surgery to get her stomach back to a more comfortable level for her. Just trying to pull together the most effective work outs, and see what helps.

[Gixxer750]

The core is probably THE most complex and misunderstood structures. Though it is our support system. Without a strong core, we would just fall over. Your core is not just your "six pack" muscles. Your core is comprised of and "inner" and "outer" unit. The INNER unit is A) Transversus Abdominis and the posterior fibers of obliquus internus, B) Diaphragm, C) Deep Multifidus, D) Pelvic floor musculature. The OUTER unit muscles of the trunk are the (A) rectus abdominus, (B) internal and external oblique, (C) erector spinae; the outer unit actually contains other muscles but I'll keep it simple. (Some researchers tend to argue that the muscles of the gluteals and ththoracic spine---shoulder girdle are also part of the "core".) I like to think of your core as your TRUNK... Imagine your body with no arms or legs. The first thing that needs to be looked at when wanting to train the core is the INNER unit; don't worry about the "other stuff" until the INNER unit is functioning at it's optimal level. This starts with proper breathing. For example, many people will inhale and you will see a big rise of the chest or shoulders. This is wrong. The belly/abdomen should extend outwards upon inhalation with only a fraction of movement from the chest or shoulders. There are plenty of articles on this. Look up diaphragmatic breathing. This can be your starting point.

Doing sets and sets of cable crunches, Swiss ball crunches and planks are useless UNTIL you know how to breath properly. It sounds too simple, though if you do a little research you'll see where I am coming from. When the breath is proper on inhalation and exhalation, the inner and outer unit can work synergistically.

Once your mom has this under control, the PLANK (whether done on your forearms or hands) is THE best bang for your buck exercise for the CORE.
Check out this link....
http://bretcontreras.com/category/ab-training/
This is another article I found on T-Nation written by Paul Chek. He's a bit "out there" but this dude knows his shit. It's a bit of read. I know your mom isn't into heavy lifting but I'm sure she picks up the odd bag of groceries or laundry basket.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/how_to_be_back_strong_and_beltless_part_1

Here is another one :

http://www.nsca-lift.org/Perform/articles/100503.pdf?utm_source=getresponse&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bretcontreras&utm_content=Progress%2C+Core+Training%2C+New+Glute +Exercises%2C+and+Sitting+Back

I hope this helps your mom! :D