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April 2002 Strength and Conditioning Journal 9

National Strength & Conditioning AssociationVolume 24, Number 2, pages 9-12

Programming Abdominal Training, Part IIJohn M. Cissik, MS, CSCSFitness and Conditioning EnterprisesRichardson, Texas

Keywords: abdominals; annual plan; periodization;specificity.

THE FIRST PART OF THIS ARTI-cle discussed the function of theabdominal muscles and why theyare important for athletes. It alsocovered why and how progressiveoverload should be applied to ab-dominal training. This second partof this article will cover applyingabdominal training in a systemat-ic fashion and applying the princi-ple of specificity to abdominaltraining.

Periodization of Abdominal

Training

Just like the other aspects oftraining, abdominal work should

be periodized. Periodizing abdom-inal work allows the athlete to pre-pare for optimal performance im-provement, to prepare for a peakor climax to the training, and todevelop a muscular development

base by advancing from generaltraining to specific training (2, 8).

Through the quantification oftraining (volume, intensity, andload) and the steady, progressivemanipulation of those variables,periodization of abdominal trainingprepares an athlete to improve hisor her performance over time (7).Periodization allows an athlete to

peak at the appropriate time andprevents overtraining. Athletes arenot able to remain at peak fitness

year-round. It is important to putthe training together so that ath-letes are in their best shape whenthey need to be (4, 7, 8). With peri-odized training, the athlete ad-

vances from general, multilateraldevelopment to focus more onsports-specific training. This allowshim or her to develop a fitness base

in terms of strength, endurance,and motor skills before requiringmore advanced exercises. Thisfoundation is valuable both for pre-

venting injuries from training andfor laying the foundation to masternew motor skills (4, 7, 8).

Abdominal Training and the

Annual Plan

Done across an annual plan, a pe-riodized workout is designed to

help an athlete peak for competi-tion or for a series of competitions.

With this in mind, training pro-gresses through several phases:

General preparation. Special preparation. Competition. Transition (8).

The general preparation phaseof training is designed to provide afitness base that the athlete wil

build upon as the year progressesGenerally, this phase consists of a

variety of training methods (4, 78). Volume is moderate to high

with moderate intensity. When icomes to abdominal work, the goaof this phase is to build the motorskill and fitness foundation that isrequired to participate in the more

advanced training later in the season. Table 1 provides examples osome exercises that might be usedin the general preparation phaseof training.

Table 1 breaks down the exercises by type of exercise. It then describes which positions might beused in this phase of training. Forexample, sit-ups might be performed lying down or on an inclineIt then describes what type of resistance might be used in this

phase. Lying or incline sit-upsmight be done with body weight or

with a weight held on the chestThe next column describes thespeed of movement for the possibleexercises. The sit-ups might be performed slow and controlled, or theymight be performed with a 10-sec

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ond eccentric phase followed by anexplosion. Finally, the last columndescribes the type of stability thatthe exercises might use. For exam-ple, sit-ups (with or without resis-

tance, slow or with the 10-secondeccentric) can be done on a stableor unstable surface.

The special preparation phaseis a bridge between general prepa-ration and competition. The pur-pose is to begin moving to exercis-es that are more specific to thesport. This means that volume is

reduced while intensity is in-creased. Now that a fitness andtechnique base has been built, thecomplexity of the exercises in-creases (4, 7, 8). The exercises in

this phase should include exercis-es done at fast speeds. Table 2 pro-vides examples of some exercisesthat might be used in the specialpreparation phase of training.

The competition phase is de-signed to get the athlete to his orher physical peak and maintain it(4, 7, 8). Generally, strength train-

ing is scaled back in terms of vol-ume and frequency as more time isspent on sports skills (4). With thisin mind, it is important to includeexercises that produce the most

benefit while avoiding overtraining.As a result, an abdominal programshould focus on exercises that re-quire a great deal of coordinationand/or those that develop the ath-letes explosiveness. In the compe-tition phase, volume will be lowand intensity high. Table 3 pro-

vides examples of some exercises

Table 1Sample Exercises in a General Preparation Phase of Training

Exercise Position Resistance Speed StabilityCrunch Lying Body weight Slow Stable

Sitting On chest Unstable

Sit-ups Lying Body weight Slow Stable Incline On chest 10-second eccentric Unstable

then explode

Leg raises Lying Body weight Slow Stable Hanging Between feet Explosive

V-ups Lying Body weight Slow Stable Over head Explosive

Table 2

Sample Exercises in a Special Preparation Phase of Training

Exercise Position Resistance Speed StabilityCrunch Kneeling Body weight Slow Stable

Standing On chest Unstable Over head

Sit-ups Lying Body weight 10-second eccentric Stable Incline On chest then explode Unstable

Over head Explosive withmedicine ball toss

Leg raises Hanging Body weight Slow Stable Between feet Explosive with

medicine ball toss

V-ups Lying Body weight Explosive Stable Over head Over head andbetween feet

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April 2002 Strength and Conditioning Journal 11

that might be used in the competi-tion phase of training.

The transition phase of train-ing is meant to give the athlete achance to recover from the previ-ous cycles of training. In the tran-sition phase, training is scaled

back. Volume is high, intensity islow, and the exercises are gener-ally not very complicated. Thisphase is designed to provide recu-peration (4, 7, 8). Table 4 providesexamples of some exercises thatmight be used in the transitionphase of training.

Tables 1 through 4 are meant

to illustrate how to periodize ab-dominal workouts using exercisesthat were described in part I of thispaper. An unlimited number of ex-ercises and their variations arepossible with abdominal training;training should not be restricted toonly those exercises listed here. Inaddition to the types of exercises

covered in parts I and II, athletesshould perform rotational exercis-es (e.g., twisting sit-ups) and med-icine ball throws in all directions(in front, to the side, to the rear,etc.) in order to strengthen the ab-dominal muscles in several planesof motion.

Specificity of Abdominal

Training

For exercise to transfer to the play-ing field, it needs to be specific tothe needs of the sport (8). This istrue of abdominal training as well

(5, 12). Failure to adhere to thisprinciple will waste an athletestime and could be counterproduc-tive to performance.

When thinking of specificityand abdominal training, we mustconsider several things:

What kinds of motions are re-quired in the sport?

What is the speed of movement of the sport?

What energy systems are involved in the sport?By analyzing the motions re

quired by a sport, one will have anidea of what to address in a condi-tioning program (5). This analysis

will indicate not only what muscles should be trained but also

what motions should be trainedFor example, does the sport require violent twisting? If it doesthen exercises that seek to simulate this (such as medicine balthrows) should be included in the

training program.Speed of movement is important because exercise adaptationsare velocity specific, and abdominal exercises are no exception (5)Performing exercises in a slowcontrolled manner will result instrength being increased at slowspeeds, but not at fast speeds (3)

Table 3Sample Exercises in a Competition Phase of Training

Exercise Position Resistance Speed StabilityCrunch Standing 2 legs Medicine ball toss Explosive Stable

Standing 1 leg Unstable

Sit-ups Lying Over head Explosive Stable Incline Unstable

Leg raises Hanging Between feet Slow Stable Explosive with

medicine ball toss

V-ups Lying Over head and Explosive Stablebetween feet

Table 4

Sample Exercises in a Transitional Phase of Training

Exercise Position Resistance Speed StabilityCrunch Lying Body weight Slow StableSit-ups Lying Body weight Slow StableLeg-raises Lying Body weight Slow StableV-ups Lying Body weight Slow Stable

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If the sport is performed in an ex-plosive manner, then the abdomi-nal exercises should be performedexplosively in order to have a max-imum transfer effect.

Training should be designed

to enhance the energy systemsthat are required in the sport. De-pending on the needs of thesport, abdominal training may bedesigned to enhance the phos-phagen energy system (low repe-titions, heavy weights, full recov-ery in between sets), the lacticacid energy system (moderaterepetitions and weights, incom-plete recovery in between sets),the aerobic energy system (highrepetitions, low weight), or some

combination of the three (10). Ab-dominal training does not have to

be sets of 20100 repetitions, andin fact, this may be counterpro-ductive in terms of the needs ofthe sport.

Now that the basic principlesof training have been applied toabdominal training, the remainderof this article will apply these prin-ciples to an example sport, throw-ing the shot put.

Whether the shot put is donewith a glide or rotational tech-nique, it requires the athlete totwist the trunk violently in orderto block his or her nonthrowingside to accelerate the implement(6, 9). This requires the develop-ment of strong, well-coordinated,explosive abdominal muscles. Par-ticular emphasis should be placedon twisting motions, especiallymedicine ball throws (11).

The shot put is a fast, explo-

sive movement (1, 6, 11). Becauseof this, the athlete should be fo-cusing on explosive abdominal ex-ercises. Training should be fo-cused on laying the foundation sothat the majority of the athletesabdominal exercises can be per-formed in a well-coordinated, ex-plosive manner.

The shot put draws its fuelfrom the phosphagen energy sys-tem. As a result, training shouldfocus on developing that energysystem. Training should preparethe athletes abdominal muscles

to withstand heavy, explosive ex-ercises with a low volume. Train-ing should also prepare the ath-letes nervous system to be able torecruit a large number of musclefibers quickly.

To maximize the effectivenessof abdominal training, the trainingneeds to adhere to the same prin-ciples of exercise as other modesof exercise. It needs to be progres-sive in nature, it needs to be ap-plied in a systematic fashion, and

it needs to be specific to the sport.Keeping these principles in mindand applying them will keep thisportion of an athletes training in-teresting and effective.

References

1. Armitage-Johnson, S., and M.Mecklenburg. Integration ofprogram variables for thepreparation of the shot putter.NSCA J. 12(1):2836. 1990.

2. Gambetta, V. Concepts andapplications of periodization.NSCA J. 13(5):6466. 1991.

3. Hakkinen, K., A. Mero, and H.Kauhanen. Specificity of en-durance, sprint, and strengthtraining on physical perfor-mance capacity in young ath-letes.J. Sports Med. Phys. Fit-ness. 29:2735. 1989.

4. Harre, D. Principles of SportsTraining: Introduction to theTheory and Methods of Train-

ing. Berlin: Sportverlag, 1982.5. Hedrick, A. Training the trunk

for improved athletic perfor-mance. Strength Cond. J.22(3):5061. 2000.

6. Kelso, T. Specific training forthe rotational technique of theshot put. NSCA J. 7(4):3437.1985.

7. Kurz, T. Science of SportsTraining: How to Plan and Con-trol Training for Peak Perfor-

mance. Island Pond, VT: Sta-dion Publishing Company,1991.

8. Matveyev, L. Fundamentals ofSports Training. Moscow:Progress Publishers, 1981.

9. OShea, P., and R. Elam. Theshot putMechanics, tech-niques, strength and condi-tioning programs. NSCA J.6(5):45, 7476, 7879. 1984.

10. Plisk, S.S., and V. Gambetta.Tactical metabolic training,part 1. Strength Cond. 19(2):4453.

11. Schmolinsky, G. Track and

Field: The East German Text-book of Athletics. Toronto:Sports Books Publishers, 1996.

12. Szymanski, D.J., and G.A.Fredrick. College baseball/softball periodized torso pro-gram. Strength Cond. J. 21(4):4247. 1999.

Cissik

John M. Cissik, MS, CSCS, holdsa masters degree in kinesiologyfrom Texas A&M University. He isa certified strength and condition-

ing specialist. He is also a certifiedlevel I coach from U.S.A. Trackand Field and a certified clubcoach from U.S.A. Weightlifting.He has written extensively onstrength training and conditioningand has spoken on the subject. Heis a fitness professional and con-sultant in Dallas, TX.