Six Pack Abs

What are six pack abs? What is the purpose of having beautiful six pack abs? Everyone that has been interested in building beautiful six pack abs has asked these questions. This article will give you the information that you need to understand what the purpose of a rock hard six pack. Abs is short for abdominal muscles and human abdomen is derived from the Latin word “Belly”. The abdomen is the area that is located between the pelvis and thorax. There are a variety of muscles that make up the abdominal wall and this article will explain each muscle and where they are located on the body.

The obliquus externus or better known as the external oblique muscle is the farthest out and covers the side of the abdomen. The external oblique’s shape is broad and thin. It lies on the eight lower ribs in the front and side of the abdomen. The action of this muscle is it rotates the torso. The external oblique abdominal muscle is the largest muscle of the abdomen. The abdomen is made of many organs including the stomach. The stomach is hollow and forms a J-shape. The stomach is a muscular organ that aids in the digestion of foods.

The obliquus internus or better known as the internal oblique muscle and its action compresses the abdomen. It lies under the external oblique muscle and the upper third of the muscle inlays into the six lower ribs. The internal oblique muscle is small and thin and forms a triangular shape. The small intestine is another organ that lies in the abdominal cavity. The small intestine is smaller is diameter and longer than the large intestines. The action of the small intestine is to absorb nutrients from food. It is part of the gastrointestinal tract.

The transversus abdominis muscle is the farthest inward muscle and is located behind the rectus abdominis and inlays into the linea alba. The muscle forms a flat triangular shape. This abdominal muscle compresses the abdomen. The muscle fibers run horizontally and inlays into the inner surface of the lower six ribs. The transversus abdominis muscle is connected to the diaphragm and aids with inhalation in the breathing process. The liver is the biggest abdominal organ and its major action is metabolism which is when food is broken down allowing the human body to maintain life.

The rectus abdominis muscles runs vertical on the lateral side of the anterior wall of the abdomen and its action during contraction is flexion of the torso and lumbar vertebra. Its origin is the pubis and inlays into the inner surface of the fifth and seventh ribs. The rectus abdominis muscle is part of what everyone calls the six pack or abdominal muscles. Everyone is looking for the beautiful appearance of a six pack. To strengthen this muscle one of the best exercises is the “crunch.” This muscle aids in respiration when a person is complaining of shortness of breath.

The pyramidalis muscle is small and forms a triangular shape. This muscle is situated in front of the rectus abdominis and makes up part of the rectus sheath. The action of the pyramidalis muscle during contraction is tensing the linea alba. It lies between the belly button and the pubis. Statistics show that the pyramidalis abdominal muscle is absent on one or both sides of the abdomen in twenty percent of normal human beings. It has also been said that the pyramidalis muscle may be doubled in size on one side of the abdomen and absent or smaller in size on the opposite side.