Stretching Vs. Contracting the Ab Muscles

Like any skeletal muscle tissue in your body, the abdominal muscles are able to contract, or shorten, and stretch, or elongate. The abs make up a major part of your core, meaning these muscles are involved in balance, walking, posture and sitting down properly. Exercising your abs is important to help maintain these basic bodily functions and prevent injury from falls or back pain.

  1. Abdominals at a Glance

    • To understand how the abdominals stretch and contract, it’s important to know a little abdominal muscle anatomy. The rectus abdominis makes up the front part of abs, what you may know as a six-pack or washboard abs. The internal and external obliques run alongside the rectus abdominis from the front of your torso around to your back. The transversus abdominis is located deep within the abdomen, and its function is to force the air from your lungs when you breathe.

    Stretch and Contract

    • Your abdominals stretch and contract when twisting, turning or bending your torso. A crunch, for example, contracts your rectus abdominis when you lift your shoulders off the ground. Standing and bending to the right contracts your right obliques while at the same time stretching your left obliques, and vice versa. To stretch your rectus abdominis, you can reach upward and slightly arch your back, hang limp from a pullup bar or lie on an exercise ball and do crunches while stretching your abs on the down movement.

    Contracting Builds Muscle

    • The purpose of contracting your abdominal muscles is to increase strength and muscle size. Contracting these muscles means you’re adding some sort of resistance, such as your own body weight or resistance from an abdominal exercise machine. When abdominal muscle tissue contracts, individual muscle fibers team up to lift the load. The heavier the resistance, the more muscle fibers that are recruited. Consistent abdominal workouts increase the number of muscle fibers in your abdominal area, which is how you can eventually get that six-pack look.

    Stretching Abdominals

    • Stretching your abs helps to repair disorganized muscle fibers, and this is the key to healing scarred muscle tissue in the case of an abdominal injury or muscle strain. Stretching your abs helps prepare your muscles for exercise by increasing blood flow and warming them up. This can help prevent muscle injuries during an abdominal workout. Stretching is just as important as contracting the abs, so use both movements as part of your abdominal workout program.

    Considerations

    • Warm up before you stretch or contract your muscles as part of an exercise routine. A quick three to five minutes of cardio exercise can help get your blood flowing and prepare your muscles for the workout. Always use a smooth, controlled motion when stretching and contracting your abdominals to help avoid muscle pulls and strains.