Becoming familiar with the muscles that frame your body has more benefits than merely allowing you to talk shop with your work out partners. The more knowledgeable that you are with the muscles you are working, the better you will be able to assess what’s needed to make improvements. In this article we will get to understand the muscles that make up the mid-section.

The core muscles of the mid-section do a lot to stabilize and hold the torso so it’s well worth spending time to train this part correctly. If you are searhing for solutions to get those washboard abs that women love on guys, then pay attention. The key muscles of the mid-section are as follows:

1. Rectus abdominis – this is the large flat muscle wall that protects most of the front mid-section from the lower chest to the pubic bone. Above the navel it consists of three pairs of rectangular sections stacked on top of each other and is better known as the six pack.

2. Obliquus abdominis – this muscle runs diagonally along the side of the mid-section from the lower ribcage to the pubic area. There are 2 muscles on each side, with internal obliques lying underneath the external obliques. The obliques help your torso to bend towards the side, twist at the waist and assist in bending the torso forwards.

3. Transversus abdominis – this is the deepest of the abdominal muscles and consists of a thin strip that runs horizontally across the belly. It’s also the one the majority of the people have problem with when they want to know how to get washboard abs. This muscle helps keep the internal organs set, forces out the breath and stabilizes the backbone.

4. Erector spinae – this large muscle collection runs along the side of the lower back. Consisting of a couple, the erector spinae maintains the spine erect and aids twisting along at the waist.

In a nutshell, that’s what makes up your ab muscles and what you need to concentrate on if you want to get the ripped ab look that ladies worship and men are just jealous of. Situps and crunches are truly not the most effective workouts to get the abdominals you desire, but it’s a great start.