The adjustable sit-up bench at your gym is not just for abdominal exercises. These boards, also known as slant boards, facilitate abdominal, leg, gluteal and upper body exercises from a flat, inclined or declined body position. The different sit-up bench's angles allow you to choose exercises that use the forces of gravity to provide assistance or add challenge to the workout.
Digestive and Circulatory Benefits
Naturopaths such as Dr. Bernard Jensen believe that lying on a slanted sit-up bench benefits the brain, the colon and the veins. In his book titled "Dr. Jensen's Nutrition Handbook: A Daily Regimen for Healthy Living," he suggests lying on the board with your feet on the high end and your head on the low end. Begin by drawing your belly in and raising your arms up over your head, and then circling them around to the side. Perform 10 repetitions. Progress the routine by lifting both feet, extending your legs toward the ceiling and performing bicycling and walking movements with your legs. Perform 25 repetitions. Increase circulation by lying on the slated board for 15 minutes at the end of your workout.
Gravity-assisted Exercise
Tight necks, hip flexors, hamstrings and lumbar regions prevent some people from performing full sit-ups, but an incline sit-up board comes to the rescue. Lie with your head on the high end and your feet on the low end of the board. Raise your arms above your head to pre-stretch the abdominal muscles. Then, bring your arms forward and peel your spine away from the board, until you are sitting in an upright position. Roll back to the starting position, feeling each vertebra touch the board. Perform 15 repetitions. The gravity-assisted position also works for stretches that involve forward flexion. People with tight hip flexors have trouble sitting on their sitz bones when performing this stretch on the floor. Sitting with your hips at the high end is easier. Extend your legs toward the lower end of the board. Take a breath in, then exhale, flexing your spine so that your chest moves toward your legs. Hold the stretch for 3 to 60 seconds.
Bench Press Variations
The incline bench press works your upper pectoral muscles, whereas the decline pectorals work your lower muscles. Begin the incline press by lying supine with your head on the high end of the bench. Hold one dumbbell with each hand, bending your elbows so the weights align with the center of your chest. Slowly extend your arms toward the ceiling, then bend them with control. Perform 12 repetitions. Repeat the exercise as a decline press by lying with your head on the low end of the bench.
Sport-specific Leg Exercise
Lunges performed with the working leg on the high end of the board can strengthen the climbing muscles in hikers. Stand with your left foot on the high end and your right foot on the floor, directly in front of the low end of the sit-up bench. Lifting your right heel from the floor and maintaining an upright posture, perform a lunge by bending both knees. Change sides after 15 repetitions. Downhill skiers benefit from performing squats with their feet on the high end of the bench and their body facing an imaginary downhill slope. Perform three sets of 15 repetitions. These exercises work the hamstrings, quadriceps and gluteal muscles while placing the foot and calf in positions similar to those used in specific sports.
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