Stomach Exercise: The Beeble
What is it for?
Obviously this exercise is for your abdominal muscles and is a very good one to strengthen your core (which are the group of muscles that support your whole body). It concentrates on your transverse abdominals (a belt-like stomach muscle that sits underneath all the other muscles) and the lower portion of your rectus abdominus (aka the 6 pack). As long as your body fat % is lower than 25% for men and 35% for women this exercise can help create a flatter stomach and certainly a firmer one.
Technique
This exercise is in fact very similar to the 20-20-20 leg drop. However because of the increase in movement and the forces this creates, I would say that it is fractionally harder than those two. As with the others it is important to prepare your body before commencing.
To do this firstly lie on your back, secondly we need to create a strong core and you do this by sucking your tummy in and slightly up towards your chest. This should bring your lower back closer to the ground and create the firm base we require. We need your legs vertical at 90 degrees to the floor, making sure they are nice and straight. Now we are going to get you to spell out the word “BEEBLE” in capital letters using your feet and straight legs as a pen.
Before you start you need to work out the area where you are going to write your letters. To do this you need to create the widest box shape you can with your feet without your back arching up. So start going as far left as you can without your body twisting off the ground. Now go down as low as you can without your back arching up and your tummy remaining firm. Now go all the way over to the right along the bottom edge of your imaginary box and up the right hand side and back across to the middle of the top where your legs should be vertical again and directly above your hips.
This is the size that each letter should be and the left side of the letter should touch the left side of your box and the right side of each letter should touch the right side of your box and the same with the top and bottom of each letter (I hope this is making sense?). By doing this you are making sure that each letter fills the box and therefore you train your body more evenly and that you are doing the maximum workout your body can manage.
So the letter B would start on the top left corner of your imaginary box, working its way down to the bottom left back up to the top left and then the two round bits will stretch to the far right of your box finishing at the bottom left corner. When you have finished each letter return your feet to the vertical starting position before commencing the next letter.
Find more stomach exercises at our exercise library.
Video Guide
In the video you will be able to see that I keep my back firmly on the ground, my legs are straight at all times and I use the whole area of my imaginary box for each. Each letter is completed in a slow and controlled manner, so try and copy this video as much as you can in your own training. Please also realise the importance of breathing, it may sound silly but this exercise makes it very difficult to breathe. There is no right way of breathing just keep it as deep and as controlled as possible. You can use your hands out to the side like mine for stability, but try not to put too much weight through them. All the support must come from your abs. In the video I have demonstrated the first 2 letters not because I can’t do the exercise but the video was too big (yeah, right! – Beeble).
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The Do’s
- Keep the movement slow and controlled
- Keep your abs firm and your lower back unarched throughout all movements
- Breathe (sounds silly, but we often keep holding our breath – Beeble)
- Only go as far as your stomach maintains control
- Use your hands for stability
- Use just your abs for support
- Make sure you fill the whole box with each letter
The Don’ts
- Don’t hold your breath
- 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 is actually a fairly complicated movement. This is because there are 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 (like at the beach! – Beeble) and when your hips twist you do not let your lower back arch up off the ground.
If you are new to exercise I would not recommend doing this particular exercise as it will be too advanced. Start by doing some of the more basic stomach exercises like crunches etc (link). If you are confident with your stomach strength and you are going to take on the BEEBLE then it is advisable to start with a small imaginary box first and make it bigger as you get stronger.
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 – Beeble). May sound a lot to some and may sound like not enough to others but remember it is quality and not quantity. People who are doing over 240 abdominal crunches are potentially just wasting time. I would add this exercise in at the start when your stomach muscles should be at their strongest. As you get stronger you can increase the length of the word maybe to beebleblog.
Enjoy this exercise but don’t push yourself too hard as it is your safety that is paramount as you cannot exercise with an injury. Exercise sensibly and let us know how you get on with this one. Good luck!
