In the last post, we talked about the best ab exercises for you to do in order to improve your abdominal and oblique muscles.

The most important thing is to know how to to perform these exercises properly, thereby gaining the most benefit. Let’s have a look through the exercises now and the best way to perform them.

1. The Bicycle Maneuver

Lie down with the bottom of your back flat against the floor and put your hands either side of your head. Bring your knees up to a 45-degree angle and move them as though you are pedalling a bicycle. Whilst doing these movements, touch your left elbow to your right knee and your right elbow to your left knee. Whilst performing this exercise, don’t overdo it and maintain calm, relaxed breathing.

1. Lie flat on the floor and place your fingers either side of your head.
2. Bring your knees in towards your chest and gently raise your shoulders off the floor. Be careful not to pull or strain your neck.
3. Straighten your left leg out while simultaneously turning your upper body to the right, bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
4. Switch sides, bringing your right elbow towards your left knee.
5. Continue for 2-4 sets of between 10 to 15 reps – whatever is comfortable – performing this pedalling motion. Do not overdo it and maintain steady, relaxed breathing throughout.

2. The Captain’s Chair

As discussed previously, using the captain’s chair leg-raising exercise is the second most effective way of improving your abdominal and oblique muscles. The captain’s chair is a piece of gym equipment with padded arms, which allows your legs to hang free. In order to ensure that the exercise is safe and effective, it is important not to swing your legs or use your momentum to bring your legs up. You also must keep your knees bent, which will allow you to focus on your abdominal muscles and not on your hip flexors.

If you don’t have the time or inclination to go to a gym and wish to do the exercises in the comfort and privacy of your own home, you can save up to $180 on the Captain’s Chair by Clicking Here . It’s inexpensive and is compact enough to fit in any home.

1. First, stand on the chair and grip the handles with your hands to stabilise yourself.
2. Press your back against the back-pad, tighten your abdominals and raise your legs slowly upwards towards your chest.
3. Ensure that you do not swing your legs up – raise them up slowly. Avoid arching your back.
4. Slowly and gently lower yourself back to your starting position. Repeat the exercise for 2-4 sets of 10 to 15 reps or whatever feels comfortable. Do not overdo it and maintain steady breathing throughout.

3. Exercise Ball

Using the exercise ball is a great way to improve your ab exercises. Whereas normal floor crunches use the legs as well as the abs, the exercise ball raises you off the floor, planting your legs flat and ensuring that all the benefit from the exercise is focused on your abdominal muscles. If you don’t already own one, you can buy one for less than $25 by Clicking Here . They are a great but simple addition to your exercise equipment.

1. Lie down on the ball with your lower back flat. Make sure your are comfortable. If you feel off balance, spread your feet wider apart until you are balanced.
2. Place your hands behind your head or cross them over your chest – whichever is more comfortable.
3. Tighten your abs as you slowly lift your torso off the ball, as though you are performing a regular sit-up.
4. As you perfom the sit-ups, again make sure that the ball is stable. You don’t want the ball rolling as you will lose efficiency.
5. Gently and slowly lower yourself back down to your starting position, slowly breathing out as you do so. Repeat for 2-4 sets of between 10 and 15 abs, whatever is comfortable.

4. Vertical Leg Crunch

This is another very effective exercise for improving and strengthening both your abdominal and oblique muscles.

1. Firstly, lie flat on the floor, ensuring that you are comfortable. Raise and extend your legs vertically upwards and cross your knees.
2. If you feel unstable, you can place your hands either side of you, flat on the floor, in order to give yourself more stability.
3. Tighten your abdominals as you slowly lift your shoulder off the floor, as if you are trying to touch your feet with your chest. Do not strain your neck or your back.
4. Make sure that you keep your legs in a fixed, vertical position.
5. Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position, mainting good, steady breathing at all times. Repeat for 2-4 sets of between 10 and 15 reps, whatever is comfortable.

5. Torso Track

Exercising using this piece of apparatus is very effective, however you should be careful not to stretch yourself too far, as it can cause some lower-back pain. As with any exercise, be sensible and don’t stretch yourself too much. If you are uncomfortable or unsure of using this piece of equipment, there are other exercises to utilise.

1. Firmly grip the handles of the torso track and tighten your abs as though you are bracing yourself for an impact. Do not hold your breath.
2. As you glide forwards, exhale steadily. Do not glide forwards too far, you do not need to. If you feel unsteady or you feel any pain at all in your back, you have gone forwards too far. You should modify slightly to avoid any discomfort.
3. Contract your abs as you pull yourself back to your starting position.
4. You can increase the tension by using more tension cords as you improve your strength.Make sure you maintain steady breathing and DO NOT over-stretch yourself.

You should now be able to perform some of the most effective ab and oblique exercises. Remember – never overdo it and always maintain good, steady breathing. You should always feel comfortable when exercising.

Click To Read More