Most people perform various abdominal crunching exercises to achieve their goal of toning stomach muscles. Abdominal Crunches strengthen the rectus abdominis muscle (6-pack muscle) and the obliques. The muscle that most people neglect when toning their stomach is the transversus abdominis, also known as the core muscle. The transversus abdominis provides spinal stability and tones the sides of the torso (“the love handles”). Click here to watch a video to see how to perform the basic contraction of the transversus abdominis. To learn more stabilization exercises to strengthen the transversus abdominis, contact Harbor Physical Therapy.
