Abdominal Exercises
Ab Crunch
Abdominal Exercises
Lying Trunk Rotation
Muscles worked
Rectus abdominus and obliques
Bench position
Flat
Success tips
START
FINISH
Muscles worked
Deep spinal and trunk muscles
Bench position
Flat
Success tips
START | FINISH |
•Do not lift your head or chin. Your head should follow the rib motion, rather than lead it.
•Maintain normal neck posture.
•Move slowly to eliminate momentum.
•Allow exhalation up and inhalation down, without exaggerating breathing.
START
•Grab a dumbbell with both hands, as shown.
•Lie flat on the bench holding the dumbbell over your upper chest.
•Place your legs behind the roller pads, as shown, for added support, with your feet flat on the floor.
•Your lower back can start out flat or in a normal arch.
ACTION
•Tighten your abs and only curl your torso, slowly moving your lower ribs toward your hips.
•Move as far as you can without moving the hips and neck.
•The lower back should not lose contact with the bench when fully crunched.
•Slowly reverse the action, returning to the start position keeping tension on the abs throughout the movement.
•This is an important exercise but can become high risk if done incorrectly.
•Keep the chest lifted and always maintain a good spinal alignment with a very slight arch in the lower back.
•More range of motion is not necessarily better, especially in this exercise.
•Move only as far as your muscles can take you. Try to eliminate uncontrolled momentum.
START
•Lie flat on the bench.
•Bend your hips and knees to approximately 90 degrees.
•Keep your chest lifted, abs tight and a slight arch in your low back.
•Hold onto the sides of the bench.
ACTION
•Tighten the entire abdominal area and slowly rotate your legs and hips to one side.
•Move slow and controlled, being careful not to let your legs and hips rotate uncontrolled to the side.
•Move back to the starting position.
•Work one side to fatigue and then do the opposite side.
Reverse Crunch
Twisting Side Crunch
Muscles worked
Abdominal area, including the rectus abdominus and the obliques
Bench position
Flat
Success tips
START | FINISH |
Muscles worked
Obliques and rectus abdiminus
Bench position
Flat
Success tips
• Allow exhalation up and inhalation |
START
FINISH
•Tighten your abs before you move.
•Keep knees and hips stationary.
•Allow exhalation up and inhalation down, without exaggerating breathing.
•Contract as far into the movements as possible.
•Lower under control.
•The amount of bend in your hips based upon desired difficulty.
•Beginners should be fully bent, bringing your legs near the abs.
START
•Lie on your back with your head resting on the bench.
•Bend your knees fully.
•Determine these positions and maintain throughout the exercise.
•Reach over the head and grasp the bench with each hand.
•Relax the neck.
ACTION
•Tighten your abs and slowly curl your hips toward your rib cage.
•Move as far as you can without using your legs to get momentum, and do not curl up onto your shoulder blades.
•Slowly reverse the action and return to the starting position without relaxing.
| down. |
• | Your head should follow the motion |
| of the rib cage. Maintain normal neck |
| posture. |
• | Move slowly to eliminate momentum. |
• | Move as far as you can without |
| moving your hips or neck. |
START
•Lie back flat on the bench and place one hand behind the head of the involved side.
•Place legs behind the roller pads for added support, as shown.
•Your back can start flat against the bench or in a normal arch.
ACTION
•Tighten your abs and move in a diagonal direction, slowly moving your ribs to the opposite hip.
•The lower back should not lose contact with the bench when fully crunched.
•Slowly reverse the motion to the starting position without relaxing the abdominal muscles.
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