| |
Beginner Modifications: Abdominals
Abdominal Crunch with a little help
Starting Position: Lie on your back with your hips and knees bent at a 90-degree angle, lower legs on a chair, ottoman, or with feet flat-footed against a wall. Place a towel behind your knees and clasp each end of the towel with your hands. Cough to tighten your abdominal muscles. With your eyes on the ceiling, slowly curl your abdominal muscles, slightly lifting your shoulders off the floor; focus on using your abdominals to pull your rib cage toward your hips. Use the towel to help your abdominals. Repeat as many times as you can while keeping your abdominal muscles contracted. Rest, contract, and repeat some more. Gradually rely less and less on the towel for help.
  
Abdominal Crunch, Chair
Starting Position: Sit on the front edge of a straight back, feet flat on the floor. Place a small pillow behind your back for lumbar support. Cough to tighten your abdominal muscles. With your arms crossed in front of your chest, your eyes focused straight ahead, your back straight, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY; keeping your abs contracted, slowly lean back until your upper back just touches chair’s backrest. Contracting your abs, slowly raise to the starting position. Repeat as many times as you can. Rest, contract, and repeat a few more times. Remember to breathe evenly throughout the exercise.
 
Reverse Abdominal Crunch, Chair
Starting Position: Sit in a straight back chair, feet flat on the floor. Place a small pillow behind your back for lumbar support. Cough to tighten your abdominal muscles. With your arms at at the side of the chair, your eyes focused straight ahead, your back straight (AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, keeping your abs contracted), slowly raise your knees up toward your chest. Keep your abs contracted as you slowly return yourl legs to the starting position. Repeat as many times as you can. Rest, contract, and repeat a few more times. Remember to breathe evenly throughout the exercise. You may use your hands on the sides of the chair just enough to help, but not too much.
 
Abdominal Press
Starting Position: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor. Cough to tighten your abdominal muscles. Raise one of your knees until your hip and knee are at 90-degree angles. With the same arm as raised leg, press your hand against the knee, keeping your arm straight. Use your abdominal muscles to try to resist the pressure of your hand against your knee. Hold for about 15 seconds, breathing evenly and deeply. Keep your abdominal muscles contracted throughout. Release and repeat on the other side.
 
Oblique Press Variation: Same as Abdominal Press but use opposite hand on opposite knee. Keep abdominal muscles tightened throughout and breath evenly and deeply.
|
|
