Reverse Crunch on a Stability Ball
Grasp a secure object behind you to steady yourself while
supporting your upper
back on a stability ball. Leg raises, knee raises and reverse crunches can be done this way.
Having to balance on a stability
ball forces the abs to
work very hard to stabilize the body during all movements. A
dumbbell bands or a cable pulley attachment can be used
to add resistance.
Roman
Chair Situps
Securely place your feet so
that in a straight-legged position,
your waist extends past the pad. While maintaining a pelvic tilt, extend your body back until
you are in a horizontal
position. Return to an
upright position by curling your
body up. Do not
extend past a horizontal
position as this may place undesired
stress on the back. Weight can be held or bands used to increase the resistance. Also,
holding
the extended position for up to
10 sec. can also increase
the intensity.
Barbell
Ab Rollout
This exercise can be done
with a barbell or ab wheel. The elbows are to be locked and kept in a vertical
line with the shoulders.
Many ab wheel commercials show
the user with their arms extended out but it is felt that this puts unnecessary stress on the
shoulders and lower back.
Keep the body locked in a straight position with no back
"sag" when in the bottom
position. All movement in
this exercise is
initiated by the hips, not the arms/lats. The emphasis should be on raising the
butt as high as possible
in a "piking" motion.
