This one of my favorite
"lower ab" exercises (there is some debate
as to whether you can actually focus tension on one
area of the abdominal wall or not. My opinion is that
you can't specifically ACTIVATE only one section or
area of a muscle but you can, by using different body
positions and leverages, work specific areas with
more focused effort.
So even though you're
not totally isolating the lower abs, you're putting
your body in a position where the lower aspect of
the abdominal wall is responsible for more of the
movement (I should've been a lawyer...).
Anyway, this exercise
is an excellent because it impacts that lower ab area
without putting a lot of torque on the lower back,
which exercises such as leg raises, etc. tend to do.
To do this one, you'll
need a Swiss ball and a decline bench
Move the bench in front
of something solid, like a rack, machine or solid
vertical post. The high end of the bench should be
up against the solid object as this is what you'll
be holding onto during the exercise. The higher the
angle of the bench, the harder this exercise is so
when you first try it start with a fairly low angle
on the bench.
Place the ball on the
bench, about halfway up it. Exactly where you set
the ball to start will depend on the bench length
and your height. This will take a little trial and
error to get comfortable with. When you see how the
exercise is done, it will give you a better idea of
where you need to place it to start.
Rest your elbows on
the knee pads at the top of the bench and grab onto
that solid object in front of it. The ball should
be contacting your thighs, arms slightly bent, and
body straight. The point in time when you set your
thighs on the bench and take your feet off the ground
is when you'll be most unstable with this exercise.
Hang on tight and set your thighs fairly wide on the
ball the first time you do it. This will give you
more control over the ball until you get used to the
movement and get into position for it.
Now for the work...
Using abdominal power,
roll the ball up the decline bench, bringing your
knees up into your chest. The ball will roll down
your legs as you pull your knees up and in. This results
in an extremely strong contraction in the lower abs
and abs in general, so squeeze very hard and hold
it for a few seconds. You can also bend at the shoulders
while doing this exercise. Remember, you're going
to be very unstable on the ball while you're doing
this exercise so hold on tight! If the ball rolls
off the bench, just put it back on and start again.
Common Errors
1.
Setting the ball in the wrong place on the bench to
start
If the placement of
the ball is too far off, you will either not be able
to do the movement at all or it will be awkward or
too short. Play around with positioning to get a good
idea of where to place it. A good technique is to
stand at the bottom of the decline bench and hold
the ball in front of your thighs. Let your body drop
forward while holding the ball so that it lands on
the bench with you on top. Now grab hold of the post.
This should give you a good indication of where to
place it.
2.
Placing your thighs too close together on the ball
This makes the exercise
more unstable and more difficult. When the thighs
are close together, you are less able to use muscle
power to maneuver the ball on the bench, making it
more likely that the ball will roll off to one side.
3.
Not squeezing the abs at the top
The best part of this
exercise is the top of the movement where your abs
are tight and your kness are up into your chest. Squeeze
the abs hard here!
Tricks
1.
On your toes
As you roll up and in,
try coming up all the way on your toes for maximum
difficulty (both in tension on the abs and in difficulty
keeping your balance on the ball). Your body will
be far more unstable when the surface area contacting
the ball is reduced down to only your toes.
2.
Side to side
If you've got strong
abs, upper body strength and good balance, you can
try moving the ball from side to side when you've
got it held at the top of the movement. This makes
the exercise very tricky and very unstable but it
can add a strong contraction to your side abs.
That's the exercise!
I know you'll get some strange looks when you do this
one but I also know that you'll see those same people
trying that exercise when you come back the next day
:)
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