European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 25, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A fresh approach to by William Stockton new York times his is a Celebration of Strong abdominal Muscles and Flat stomachs but particularly Strong lower backs. So try this test. Lie Flat on the floor legs extended and try to sit up. If you can place your hands behind your head and sit up until your trunk makes about a 90 degree Angle with your legs score yourself 100 percent or Normal. If you cannot sit up with hands behind your head but can do so if you fold your arms across your Chest score yourself 80 percent or Good. If you can sit up Only by extending your arms out in front of your face score yourself 60 percent or fair plus. If you can raise your trunk up off the floor with the arms extended but cannot finish the setup score yourself 50 percent or fair. If you cannot score at least 80 percent then you need to focus on improving your abdominal Muscles. Strong abdominal Muscles Are related to a Strong lower Back fewer Back problems and better posture. But to most people Strong abdominal mean setups the Scourge of muscle conditioning exercises. The setup has Long been surrounded by controversy about How it should be done what exactly constitutes a setup and whether too Many can be harmful. But there is Good news it in t even necessary to do a Complete setup to condition the abdominal Muscles. This is because the setup involves two different muscle systems. The first phase of a setup is known As a trunk curl and uses the abdominal Muscles to flex the spine and raise the head neck and Chest up to about a 45-degree Angle. The second phase involves flexing the hip joint and Tilting the Pelvis Forward toward the thighs until the trunk is erect. The hip flexor Muscles Are in the leg and Pelvic Region and include the quadriceps and hamstring in the leg. The hip flexors Are used in such daily activities As climbing stairs and usually Are quite Strong. It is possible to be a Whiz in setups and still have weak abdominal Muscles because the hip flexor Check your Back strength 1. Lie on Back and lift both legs off the floor 30 degrees. Hold for 10 seconds. Grade 1 Point for each second up to 10. 2. Assume position in first exercise but have someone hold feet. Sit up. Grade 10 Points for full setup 5 Points for half setup. 3. Perform same setup with Knees Bent. Grade 10 Points for full setup 5 Points for half setup. 4. Lie on Abdomen with Pillow under hips. Raise not Muscles do All the work. Many people become aware of abdominal muscle weakness because of a painful Low Back because of being unable to get up easily from a lying position or simply because they Are concerned about their appearance and posture wrote Florence Peterson Kendall and her daughter Elizabeth Kendall Mccreary in the third edition of Muscles testing and function Williams & Wilkins Baltimore 1983the text considered a classic in the Field of physical therapy first appeared in the 1950s and was written by Henry 0. Kendall who died in 1979, and his wife Florence. The traditional exercises of setups and double leg raisings have been offered As the Panacea for strengthening these Muscles they wrote. Unfortunately they Are not the cure All that they Are supposed to be. Much of the confusion has been caused by failure to distinguish the action of the abdominal Muscles from that of the hip flexors during these  the hip flexors have been at the Center of controversy about straight leg versus Bent knee setups for Many years. A popular idea has been that by bending the Knees for setups the hip flexors Are relaxed and so is the Back because the abdominal Muscles do All the work. These ideas Are not based on facts they Are false and misleading the Kendall Book said. Abdominal Muscles can Only curl the trunk they cannot flex the hip regardless of leg position the kendalls contend. But the situation is More Complex people whose hip flexors Are Short naturally lie with the Back arched and straight leg setups will further hype extend the Back. They can minimize Back Strain by bending their Knees. Experts such As the kendalls argue however that this should not be a Long term solution since people with very weak abdominal can injure the lower Back performing Bent knee setups As Well. So whenever a history of Low Back pain is involved avoid the hyperextension of the Back. Moreover when performing any exercises proceed slowly and with few repetitions at first stopping at the first indication of pain. The trunk curl or abdominal curl and the Pelvic tilt trunk and hold for 10 seconds. Grade 1 Point for each second up to 10. 5. Lie on Abdomen with hands under head. Lift feet and hold for 10 seconds. Grade 1 Point for each second up to 10. 6. Stand erect then Bend and touch floor. Measure distance from fingertips to floor. Grade subtract the number of inches from 10. Score 60, perfect 50-60, Good less than 40, poor. More directly address weak abdominal Muscles than the setup. Neither one is As difficult As the setup but done faithfully the results can be impressive Over time for the Pelvic tilt lie on the Back with a rolled Towel placed under the Knees to Bend them slightly and place the hands beside the head. Tilt the Pelvis Forward so As to flatten the Small of the Back against the floor by pulling upward and inward with the lower abdominal Muscles. Avoid using the Muscles in the buttocks As much As possible. Hold the Small of the Back Flat for several seconds while breathing in and out. The Back should not Arch up from the floor while breathing. The Pelvic tilt should also be practice with the Knees Bent As if doing Bent knee setups. Lying Flat on the floor with the hands beside the head Bend the Knees so that the feet Are Flat on the floor. Flatten the Small of the Back against the floor by using the lower abdominal Muscles. While holding the Back Flat begin sliding the heels along the floor until the legs Are As straight As possible without causing the Back to Arch. Now bring the legs Back to the Bent knee position by sliding the heels along the floor but do it one leg at a time. Establish a rhythm so that you breathe in and out three times while moving the heels out and Back. For the trunk curl lie on your Back and place a rolled Towel under the Knees. Extend your arms out straight in front of your face. Again tilt your Pelvis so that the Small of the Back is Flat on the floor. Flex the lower abdominal Muscles As much As possible to do this rather than using Muscles in the buttocks. Now raise the head and shoulders up and then the trunk As High As they will come by bending the Back but without trying to come erect into a sitting position. This exercise does not use the hip flexor Muscles and instead relies almost entirely on the abdominal Muscles. As proof place one hand on the Abdomen and feel the tension in the Muscles. Then feel the quadriceps on the top of the thigh and note that it is relaxed. Eventually As the trunk is raised the quadriceps will tighten indicating the beginning of the hip flexor portion of a setup. If abdominal Muscles Are extremely weak the trunk curl can be performed at first by resting the upper Back against a wedge shaped Pillow. Page 14 the stars and stripes