The "six-pack" muscles in the middle of the stomach are known as the rectus abdominis. The remaining abdominal muscles include the internal and external obliques, and the transverse abdominis muscles located just behind the rectus abdominis muscles. All of these muscles, plus those of the lower back, make up the core of the body. The core muscles can be trained on the floor, with fitness machines and with a stability ball.
Back Extension
The back extension exercise targets the muscles at the lower portion of the back as well as the gluteus and hamstrings.
Place the stability ball in front of you and lie over it, face down. Place your legs wider than shoulder-width apart for support. Put your hands behind your ears and contract your abdominal muscles for support. Exhale and slowly raise your torso off the ball. Hold the lifted position for 5 seconds, inhale and return to the starting position. Do 12 to 15 repetitions and two to three sets.
Reverse Crunch
This exercise targets the lower portion of the abdominal muscles. Perform 10 repetitions of the exercise for two to three sets.
Lie on your back with your legs bent and draped over the ball. Position your arms along your side for support, with your palms facing down. Press your lower back into the floor to stabilize your core. Press your heels into the ball and hold it between your feet and buttocks. Exhale and slowly raise your knees toward your chest while lifting your hips off the floor. Inhale and return to the starting position.
Lying Straight Leg Lifts
This exercise targets the upper and lower portion of the abdominal muscles. Perform 10 repetitions of this exercise for two to three sets.
Lie on your back, placing your calves on top of the ball with your toes pointed. Press your upper body into the floor with your arms straight down at your sides. Inhale, bringing your arms overhead to begin. Exhale and lift your right leg off the ball, and your head and shoulders off the floor. Circle your arms down to your sides. Your arms should remain straight and hover just above the floor. Inhale, place your leg back on the ball and return your torso and arms to the starting position. Repeat this movement on the other side. Perform this movement using each leg for a total of 10 times.
Ball Crunch
This exercise targets the upper portion of the abdominal muscles. Perform three sets and 10 repetitions.
Sit on the stability ball and slowly walk your feet forward while letting the ball roll back until your torso--from shoulder blades to hips--is supported on the ball. Place your feet flat on the floor and hip-distance apart. Place fingers behind your ears to support your head. Exhale and slowly curl your torso upward. Inhale and slowly return to the starting position.
Abdominal Side Crunch
This exercise targets the oblique muscles at the sides of the body. Perform three sets of 10 repetitions.
Place a stability ball about 3 feet away from a wall. Sit on the ball so that your hips are at the center of the ball with your feet against the wall. Stabilize your feet against the wall so that you don't roll on the ball. Lie sideways across the ball. From this position, exhale and lift your body up sideways while crunching your oblique muscles. Your shoulders, knees and hips should all be in one line. Hold this position for 5 seconds, then return to the starting position.
References
- "Ultimate Core Ball Workout"; Jeannie Detz; 2005
- "Strength Ball Training, 2nd edition"; Lorne Goldenberg, Peter Twist; 2007
Member Comments