What is it for?

As you can probably guess this exercise works on your stomach muscles, but which ones? It works on your erector spinae muscles (the small muscles either side of your spine – Beeble) which are used for rotation. It also works on your transverse abdominals (the belt-like stomach muscle that lies underneath all other stomach muscles – Beeble) but we have added this to the ab section because it is primarily a great exercise for your oblique stomach muscles (they are on your sides and help with twisting and sideways bending).

Remember though, this exercise and any other stomach exercise will not necessarily make your stomach flat by itself. If you have excess body fat you need to combine your stomach exercises with a good all over body workout and back it up with a good wholefood diet. If you look under the appropriate sections in our blog you should find what you are looking for to help you with this.

Technique

As with all stomach exercises we have dealt with so far you will need to lie on your back on the floor. Raise your legs in the air to 90 degrees from the floor. Some preparation is needed before we start the movement and that is to draw your tummy button in and down towards your spine. This will activate your transverse abdominals and these are the ones that will prevent your back from arching up during the movement.

Once you feel that the abs are strong enough you need to lower your legs to the left keeping them straight and allowing the right hip to come off the floor. Only go as far as you can while remaining in control and before your back starts to arch. When you reach this point you need to stop the movement and change direction bringing your legs back to the upright position and then move slowly over to your right hand side, this time letting your left hip lift off the floor. Use the same rules again and hold the position where you feel in control. Slowly bring your legs back to the upright position and there you go, the routine is completed. The stronger you get the lower you will be able to get your legs but be safe and always be careful, don’t over extend yourself. This is another abdominal exercise that you should not do if you are suffering from a bad back or are a novice to exercise. Build yourself up slowly and take your time.

Find more stomach exercises at our exercise library.

Video Guide

Use nice slow controlled movements and you should try and replicate this as closely as possible. You should also see that although Nicky’s hip does come of the ground her spine stays neutral in its position. This shows that she is using her transverse abdominals to control her position. Very important muscles to work on when you train and you should try and use them for every exercise. You will also see that she holds it at the end of each movement for a fraction of a second; this is to firstly show control and secondly to avoid damaging the small back muscles that also get used in this movement. Be safe and be slow and controlled. You can use your hands to the side for stability but try not to use them to aid the movement.

The Do’s

•     Keep the movement slow and controlled
•     Keep the lower back strong and unarched when you twist
•     Breathe
•     Only go as far as your stomach maintains control
•     Use your hands for stability

The Don’ts

•     Don’t hold your breath (you’re going purple – Beeble)
•     Don’t move too quickly (quality not quantity - Beeble)
•     Don’t arch your back
•     Don’t just swing your legs
•     Don’t go beyond the point of control
•     Don’t use your arms to help with the movement
•     Don’t do this if you have a bad back - be careful

This exercise is in fact fairly complicated even though the movement looks relatively simple. This is because there is lots that you need to bear in mind before the movement starts. Once your legs are raised they can act like a lever on your body. If you lower your legs towards the ground it will want to pull your upper body around. What actually happens is that it arches and twists your back which will put a lot of stress in this area. Make sure when you do this exercise that you draw your tummy button in towards your spine and when your hips twist you do not let your lower back arch up.

If you have a bad back then do not attempt this exercise. Check with your doctor first and read up on our bad back section. Done incorrectly this exercise could make your back worse. When your back is better it will be exercises like this that will help protect it (all in good time, don’t rush – Beeble).

Adding it to Your Workout

Personally I would pick 4 to 6 different stomach exercises and complete 20 repetitions of each and do a total of 1 to 2 sets each. So that would be a total of 80 – 240 abdominal repetitions in total (Ouch, is that really necessary? – Beeble). May sound a lot to some and may sound like not enough to others but remember it is quality that counts, not quantity. People who are doing over 240 abdominal crunches are potentially just wasting time. With this actual exercise you should find 20 plenty enough. It should be harder than it looks.

I hope this has been of interest and has helped. If you have any questions please leave them in our comments section on the link below (feed readers will have to visit our website to do so – Beeble). Tune in again for more exercises, tips and advice. Thank you for reading and please help spread the word.

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This entry was Posted on Tuesday, April 24th, 2007 at 11:18 pm and is filed under Abs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.