The abs

The trunk resists movement more than it produces it. That is why bracing work belongs beside flexion work.

PrimarySecondaryNot worked

What it is

Rectus abdominis flexes the trunk. The obliques, external and internal, add rotation and side bend. Transversus, deepest, produces no visible movement — it compresses and stabilises. Under a heavy bar, most abdominal work is stopping the trunk moving, not bending it.

How to load it

Ten to twenty sets a week across three families: flexion (crunches, leg raises), anti-flexion (planks, ab wheel) and anti-rotation (Pallof press). Add load rather than reps — sets of a hundred stop paying past a point.

The recurring mistake

Pulling on the neck during crunches. Hands support, they do not haul: keep the chin off the chest.

All 37 exercises in the catalogue

Names are the ones the app uses.