Who doesn't want six-pack
abs? Not many people that I know...and when
you think of working the upper abs to get
those six-pack abs, the first thing that pops
into your head is probably crunches, right?
Well,
crunches are an ok exercise...unfortunately,
they don't provide a whole
lot of resistance, which means
you won't get maximum abdominal
development (among other issues...repeated
flexion of the spine has it's
problems).
That's
where this exercise comes
in...it's a hanging knee raise
type of movement only without
involving the lower abs (other
than isometrically). I'll
explain as I show you the
exercise.
The
key thing with this exercise
is the setup...to do it, you'll
need a way to work with a
neutral grip (palms facing
in), either on a pull-up bar
that has neutral handles or
by setting up in a power rack
with a couple of Olympic bars
(which is the setup I'm using).
If
you have the pre-set grips,
you can skip the setup instructions
here.
Set
the safety rails of the rack
to the highest point you can
then set two Olympic bars
on them. Load one end of the
bars with a couple of plates
(I'm using 2 45-lb plates
on both bars - you can load
at least that much onto only
one end without the bar tipping
- I probably would've been
fine with just one plate on
the ends of the bars). How
much weight you need to counterbalance
will depend on your own bodyweight.
The
bars should be about a foot
to a foot and a half apart.
Get
under the ends of the bars
and hold on with your arms
in a slightly bent position.
Get your feet off the ground
and set your hips at 90 degrees.
Now
raise your knees up, rotating
your body around. Use MUSCLE
power, not momentum here.
One of the things with this
one is that because your knees
are already bent 90 degrees,
you really can't even GET
much momentum, even if you
try.
This
is also where the neutral
grip comes into play. It allows
you to exert force to help
raise the knees up with abdominal
strength (with some lat involvement,
actually).
Come
all the way up until your
feet are directly up. This
is also where the neutral
grip comes in handy...there
is no bar to get in the way
of your feet.
Hold
for a second now lower your
legs down under control.
Here's
the "money" part of this abdominal
exercise ...
As
you get to the bottom, DO
NOT let your hips unflex past
90 degrees. When you get to
the bottom start position,
reverse the direction using
abdominal strength and lat
power.
I'll
warn you up front...this is
tough. If you find you don't
have the strength to do that
just yet, you can set your
feet down briefly to give
your abs a short break. As
you build strength, do try
and keep your feet off the
ground.
Because
your hips never unflex, the
lower abdominals aren't greatly
involved in the movement,
other than in keeping your
hips bent 90 degress and a
little when you start the
pull back up.
The
VAST majority of the tension goes directly
into the upper abdominal area...and it's a
LOT of tension. This is a challenging exercise,
even for those who are strong with hanging
leg raises.
Also,
because you're gripping on
the "fat" ends of
the bars, it's also going
to work your grip strength...the
fun just doesn't stop :).