6.Incline Crunches
How To Do Incline Crunches
Starting position: Lie on a slanted board with your feet secured and your hands behind your head. This exercise is performed in the same manner as floor crunches.
Form: Exhale and curl your body forward until your shoulder blades come off the board. Hold at the top for 1 second and slowly lower back to the starting position.
Personal Training Tips
Since this is a crunch, the range of motion is different from the full sit up. Only curl from your spine, and do not hinge from your hips.
To change the intensity of this exercise you can adjust your hand placement or the degree of incline. Placing your hands across your chest takes some pressure off the abs.
7.Incline Sit Ups
How To Do Incline Sit Ups
Starting position: Lie on the bench and place your feet under the pads to secure your legs. Place your hands behind your head.
Form: Exhale and curl your body forward to the sit up position. Hold briefly at the top and then slowly return to the starting position.
Perform 8-50 repetitions.
Personal Training Tips
This is an advanced ab exercise because it places a large amount of pressure on the lower back, and many trainers will say never perform sit ups with the feet anchored.
8.The Jack Knifes
How To Do Jack Knife Sit Ups
Starting position: Begin by lying on your back with your arms stretched over your head.
Form: Exhale and while keeping your knees and arms straight lift your body into a V position. Balance on your hips and hold at the top position for a brief second before returning to the starting position.
Personal Training Tips
If this exercise is too hard, begin by mastering V-ins on the floor. During V-ins your knees are bent and you can balance with your hands on the floor.
However, if you have a lower back injury and are not competing in serious athletics, incline sit ups might have a higher risk of injury than benefit gain.
Every exercise has benefits and risks. If you are a serious athlete doing highly vigorous and competitive sports the benefit of incline sit ups may outweigh the risk of injury.
9.Leg Raises
How To Do Leg Raises
Starting position: Lie on your back, with your hands at your side or just under your buttocks.
Form: Keeping your knees slightly bent, lift your legs straight in the air. Keep your back flat against the floor throughout the movement, especially as you lower your legs. Keep tension on your abs by not lowering all the way to the floor.
Personal Training Tips
The lower you extend your legs the more challenging this exercise is for the ab muscles and lower back.
Use your ab muscles to keep your back from arching or simply do not lower your legs as close to the ground.
But, stretching your arms overhead makes the ab exercise more difficult. Also, as you increase the angle on the incline you make the exercise more challenging for the abdominal muscles.
If your grip strength prevents you from holding yourself up, you can use ab straps to suspend your body.
The wider you place your feet the more stability you will have. Bringing your feet together challenges your stability a little more.
The weight should not lift you off the floor. As you uncurl, move slowly, and keep your back from arching as the weight pulls you back.
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How To Do Incline Crunches
Starting position: Lie on a slanted board with your feet secured and your hands behind your head. This exercise is performed in the same manner as floor crunches.
Form: Exhale and curl your body forward until your shoulder blades come off the board. Hold at the top for 1 second and slowly lower back to the starting position.
Personal Training Tips
Since this is a crunch, the range of motion is different from the full sit up. Only curl from your spine, and do not hinge from your hips.
To change the intensity of this exercise you can adjust your hand placement or the degree of incline. Placing your hands across your chest takes some pressure off the abs.
7.Incline Sit Ups
How To Do Incline Sit Ups
Starting position: Lie on the bench and place your feet under the pads to secure your legs. Place your hands behind your head.
Form: Exhale and curl your body forward to the sit up position. Hold briefly at the top and then slowly return to the starting position.
Perform 8-50 repetitions.
Personal Training Tips
This is an advanced ab exercise because it places a large amount of pressure on the lower back, and many trainers will say never perform sit ups with the feet anchored.
8.The Jack Knifes
How To Do Jack Knife Sit Ups
Starting position: Begin by lying on your back with your arms stretched over your head.
Form: Exhale and while keeping your knees and arms straight lift your body into a V position. Balance on your hips and hold at the top position for a brief second before returning to the starting position.
Personal Training Tips
If this exercise is too hard, begin by mastering V-ins on the floor. During V-ins your knees are bent and you can balance with your hands on the floor.
However, if you have a lower back injury and are not competing in serious athletics, incline sit ups might have a higher risk of injury than benefit gain.
Every exercise has benefits and risks. If you are a serious athlete doing highly vigorous and competitive sports the benefit of incline sit ups may outweigh the risk of injury.
9.Leg Raises
How To Do Leg Raises
Starting position: Lie on your back, with your hands at your side or just under your buttocks.
Form: Keeping your knees slightly bent, lift your legs straight in the air. Keep your back flat against the floor throughout the movement, especially as you lower your legs. Keep tension on your abs by not lowering all the way to the floor.
Personal Training Tips
The lower you extend your legs the more challenging this exercise is for the ab muscles and lower back.
Use your ab muscles to keep your back from arching or simply do not lower your legs as close to the ground.
But, stretching your arms overhead makes the ab exercise more difficult. Also, as you increase the angle on the incline you make the exercise more challenging for the abdominal muscles.
If your grip strength prevents you from holding yourself up, you can use ab straps to suspend your body.
The wider you place your feet the more stability you will have. Bringing your feet together challenges your stability a little more.
The weight should not lift you off the floor. As you uncurl, move slowly, and keep your back from arching as the weight pulls you back.
<< page 1.
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