The Exercise Ball has become one of the most popular pieces of exercise equipment in the fitness industry.

It has many names. Some people refer to it as a Stability Ball, Swiss Ball, or Physioball.

There are 3 main reasons people perform abdominal exercises on an exercise ball.

When doing abdominal exercises on the ball.

Forget about crunches, sit ups, hanging leg raises, russian twists, or stability ball exercises. The drawing-in maneuver to engage the transversus abdominus is the most important core exercise to master if you want to develop core stability.

If you've never heard of the transversus abdominus I wouldn't be surprised. It the deepest of the four anterior abdominal muscles and so you can't see it.

Back Pain is a complex problem and there is no simple answer to the question, What causes back pain?

One of the reasons that it is difficult to determine what causes back pain is that there are many structures that can be injured in the lower back (lumbar) region. You can injure the muscles, the ligaments, the intervertebral discs, the nerve roots, the cartilage that lines the joints, the bones in the lower back, over even the spinal cord.

Recently there has been a lot of talk about a study that found that people who drank at least 1 diet soda a day were more likely to gain weight and suffer Metabolic Syndrome.

I know that there is a lot of conflicting information about weight loss. But if you want to lose weight and decrease stomach fat, keep reading this article.

There are 2 major points I want to make about obesity in the American society.

Since I am a personal trainer, I am often asked... What is the Best Abdominal Exercise?

And my answer is often it depends on the goal.

Now, I know most people want to know what is the best abdominal exercise to get rid of fat on their stomach, but unfortunately ab exercises by themselves do very little to help you get rid of stomach fat.

People are always looking for the best ab exercise equipment and here is a run-down of 5 pieces of equipment that you can use in your ab workouts (for pictures and full descriptions of more than 50 abdominal exercises check the resource box below).

#1 The Stability Ball (Exercise Ball)

The stability ball is a great piece of equipment.

So many people have the fitness goal to lose stomach fat, and in order to do that many people turn to sit ups. One important point is that you cannot spot reduce body fat. Spot reduction is the #1 Abdominal Exercise Myth.

Big marketing companies keep perpetuating the spot reduction myth because it is profitable, but the truth is that no matter how much you work a spot, you cannot specifically target the fat under your skin in a certain spot with exercises for the muscles in that spot.

Many gym goers and fitness minded people know that having strong abdominal muscles helps to support the lower back, but not that many people truly understand how and why. Before we get into it, let me say that lower back pain is complex, and you should always consult with licensed health professional before beginning any exercise program.

Here is a brief over view about how ab exercises help to prevent lower back pain.

I have been a physical therapist and personal trainer for more than 10 years. So many people come into the gym and tell me that they need to strengthen their abdominal muscles to take pressure off their lower back.

Now it is true that the abdominal muscles help to support the lower back, but guess what. The lower back muscles are just as important if not more important! Before we get into it, let me say that lower back pain is complex, and you should see a licensed health professional before beginning any exercise program.

In fitness the biggest fascination in fitness is getting a flat stomach or having washboard abs. However, in this article I want to talk about the anatomy of the ab muscles.

There are 4 muscles in the anterior (front) abdominal wall. They are the rectus abdominus, the external oblique, the internal oblique and the transversus abdominus.

The rectus abdominus might be the most popular ab muscle because this is the muscle that makes up the 6 pack.