Ab Exercises & The Decline Bench Press

Abdominal exercises on a decline bench allow you to increase intensity for a variety of exercises. When you do abdominal exercises on a decline bench you use resistance due to gravity to make the exercise more challenging. Paul Check of the Corrective High-performance Exercise Kinesiology Institute advises strong abdominal muscles will improve your posture and help decrease your risks of lower body injuries. Your local gym will have the equipment necessary to do these abdominal exercises.

Sit-ups

Sit-ups engage your rectus abdominal muscle, commonly known as your "six pack" muscle. This muscle is primarily responsible for drawing your pelvis and your rib cage toward each other. Perform all abdominal exercises on a decline bench by sitting on the bench with one foot entwined in the foot supports and your other foot on top of the support. This position helps to maintain the natural curve in your spine, decreasing strain to your lower back. Do sit-ups by holding your arms straight in front of you or folded across your chest, lying all the way down and contracting your abs to return to the start position. As your strength improves, hold a dumbbell in both hands to make this exercise hard and progressively challenge your abdominal muscles. Complete three sets of no more than 10 reps per set. If you have low back problems, do not perform any abdominal exercise on a decline bench.

Ball Tosses

You will need a 6-lb. medicine ball for this exercise and position your feet on the decline bench as you would for sit-ups. Ball tosses on the decline bench holds an isometric contraction for your rectus abdominal muscle, or a contraction in which the length of the muscle stays the same. Lean back 45 degrees with the ball between your hands and against your chest. Hold your abdominals tight and keep your trunk in the same place. Toss the ball up then catch the ball when it is close to your chest. Repeat for up to three sets of 20 throws per set. Increase the intensity by using progressively heavier balls, but decrease your reps to only 10 reps.

Russian Twists

Russian twists activate your oblique muscles, abdominal muscles on the sides of your torso. These muscles enable you to bend forward and rotate your spine between your pelvis and rib cage. Sitting properly on the decline bench, hold a 6-lb. medicine ball between your hands, with your arms straight in front of you. You need to simultaneously lean back and rotate to your right side. Then, come up rotating back to the center. Repeat this movement, alternating sides. Complete up to three sets of 20 total rotations per set. You may also increase the weight of the ball and decrease to 10 total rotations per set.