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Three sets of abdominal muscles work together to provide the pelvic li ft in Lola-sana: the rectus abdominis, the external oblique, and the internal oblique. The rectus abdominis is the muscle that creates the familiar appearance of "six-pack abs." It is composed of several segments embedded in a sheath of tough connective tissue that connects the base of the sternum (the xiphoid process and nearby cartilage) to the middle of the lower front pelvis (the pubis).
The external oblique abdominal muscles lie alongside the rcctus abdominis to cover the remainder of the front of the waist, the sides of the waist, and part of the back waist. Their fibers attach to the sides of the lower rib cage and run diagonally down and forward to attach at the other end to the rcctus sheath in front or to the top rim of the pelvis in back. The internal obliques lie underneath the externals; their fibers connect to the rectus sheath in front and run diagonally down and backward, roughly perpendicular to the fibers of the external obliques, to attach to the front and sides of the pelvic rim.
The net effect of this complex arrangement of muscles is that simultaneous contraction of the three abdominal muscles draws the pelvis strongly upward toward the ribs, with much more lift in front than in back. This flexes the lumbar spine and ensures that when the ribs lift up away from the floor in Lolasana, the pelvis and spine follow.
Although all the abdominal muscles contribute to lifting the lower body, meaning that all of them get conditioned by the pose, the work of the external obliques is especially intense.This is because their frontal fibers connect directly to the side ribs, pulling them downward and inward toward the rectus sheath and pubis, in direct opposition to the upward and outward pull of the serratus anterior muscles on the same ribs. The oblique abdominals therefore provide the lion's share of the force that prevents the ribs from swinging up independently of the spine and pelvis.
They translate the lifting power of the serratus muscles into elevation of the midabdomen and frontal pelvis. This means that to do Lolasana effectively, you have to pay special attention to contracting the sides of your waist in front.
Now let's take a closer look at how the legs get off the floor in Lolasana. The core
Is there anything in yoga that can really strengthen the abs like sit-ups do?
muscle that does most of the heavy lifting here is iliopsoas, which is composed of two deep hip flexors. One is the iliacus muscle, which connects the front of the pelvic bowl to the upper thigh; the other is the psoas, which connects the lower spine to the upper thigh.
Several superficial hip flexors assist the iliopsoas; all of them connect the front of the pelvis to the thigh or leg. Since all
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the hip flexor muscles use the front of the pelvis or the lower spine as their anchor points, they can lift the legs off the floor only if the front of the pelvis remains lifted and the lumbar spine stays flexed. As we've seen, the abdominal muscles provide this lift and flexion; if they are too weak, the front of the pelvis will sag, the spine will lose its flexion, and the legs will droop toward the floor. Of course, the hip flexors have to be strong, too; if they are too weak, you won't be able to lift your legs, no matter how high you raise your pelvis and spine.
The moral of the story is that you have to use all ofyour abdominal muscles when you are in the pose, especially those alongside the midline, to draw the front of your pelvis as close to the front of your rib cage as you can, curling your hips and trunk into a tight ball, while at the same time using your hip flexors to draw your thighs toward your chest as strongly as you can.
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