Owner`s manual

29
Abdominal Exercises
Ab Crunch
Reverse Crunch
START ACTION
START
• Lie on your back with your head
resting on the bench.
• Bend your knees fully.
• Note your head and knee positions,
and maintain throughout the
exercise.
• Reach over the head and grasp the
bench with each hand.
• Relax the neck.
• Tighten your abs and slowly curl your
hips toward your rib cage.
• Move as far as you can without
using your legs to get momentum,
and do not curl up onto your
shoulder blades.
• Slowly reverse the action and return
to the starting position without
relaxing.
FINISH
START ACTION
START
• Grab a dumbbell with both hands, as
shown.
• Lie flat on the bench holding the
dumbbell over your upper chest.
• Place your legs behind the roller
pads, as shown, for added support,
with your feet flat on
the floor.
• Your lower back can start out flat or
in a normal arch.
• Tighten your abs and only curl your
torso, slowly moving your lower ribs
toward your hips.
• Move as far as you can without
moving the hips and neck.
• The lower back should not lose
contact with the bench when fully
crunched.
• Slowly reverse the action, returning
to the start position keeping tension
on the abs throughout the movement.
FINISH
Muscles worked
Rectus abdominus and obliques
Bench position
Flat
Success tips
• Do not lift your head or chin. Your head
should follow the rib motion, rather than
lead it.
• Maintain normal neck posture.
• Move slowly to eliminate momentum.
• Allow exhalation up and inhalation down,
without exaggerating breathing.
Muscles worked
Abdominal area, including the rectus abdo-
minus and the obliques
Bench position
Flat
Success tips
• Tighten your abs before you move.
• Keep knees and hips stationary.
• Allow exhalation up and inhalation down,
without exaggerating breathing.
• Contract as far into the movements as
possible.
• Lower under control.
• The amount of bend in your hips
determines the degree of difficulty.
Perfoming the exercise with less bend
(so that your knees are farther from your
chest) increases the difficulty.
• Beginners should be fully bent, bringing
your legs near the abs.