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Anatomy The abdominal muscles lie in layers, the most superficial being the rectus abdomi- nus which encompasses nearly the whole midsection of the body. It is a large broad flat muscle which runs from the lower three ribs to the pelvis. It is divided by four fibrous layers (three lying horizontally and one lying vertically across the stomach).

The rectus abdominus muscle is very strong and is rarely injured. Contraction of the muscle will allow sitting up from lying down, and it also assists in rotating the body. When lying flat the muscle can be felt by lifting the head.

The internal oblique muscle lies under the external obliques and both have similar attachments and function. The main differ- ence between the internal and external obliques is that the muscle fibres run per-

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Abdominal hollowing in supine – alternate extension of leg (3 reps, 5 second hold) – in supine knees at 90º, maintain neutral spine

position while extending slowly one leg returning to start position then alternating legs

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Bridging – lie in supine, knees 90º, feet together, lift the pelvis until body in align- ment

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Seated bent knee tuck – sit with arms sup- porting behind, keep spine in neutral, lift both feet then extend both and back to start

Figure 1: Bridging assessment

pendicular to each other. Both are broad, thin muscles which arise from the lower ribs anteriorly and the fibrous tissue cover- ing the lower back. The fibres flow around the abdomen into the pelvis and linea alba. The internal oblique assists in flexion, one side of the muscle can contract individual-

ly allowing rotation to the opposite side. The deepest of the four muscles, which is usually neglected, is the transverse abdominus. Its fibres run horizontally, act- ing like a belt on the abdominal contents. It acts as a corset, supporting the abdomen during movement.

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Assessment A basic assessment of abdominal stability is the bridge movement (Fig.1). The player raises his/her pelvis off the floor and stops when the knees, hips and chest are in line. While maintaining a level pelvis, the play- er is asked to lift one knee in the air (5cm). This is sufficient to force the weight bear- ing side into stabilising the entire trunk region. If the pelvis lowers, rotates or a level position cannot be maintained, it indicates poor abdominal control.

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Exercises The first stage of developing core stability must be aimed at developing control and understanding of the muscles. Players may not necessarily feel the benefit from stage 1 of the programme but it is important in establishing a base level of control. The whole of stage 1 can be performed in 30 minutes. Allowing for 3 sets of each exer- cise, with a thirty-second rest between sets (Box 1).

At Middlesbrough we started at 12 repeti- tions per exercise (apart from exercises 2 and 4 which have other repetition instruc- tions described in the circuit) and pro- gressed to 17 repetitions by week 8.

Trunk curl – lie in supine knees 90º, hands on thighs, slowly lift the head then upper- body until fingers touch patella

While performing these exercises, the play- er should never feel these exercises work- ing the lower back region. This is a sign that the extensor muscles are being over- worked and there is an imbalance within the abdominal musculature. If this is the

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