The seated abdominal crunch is a standard exercise on any Bowflex home gym. Bowflex has produced more than two dozen models of home gyms as of August 2011, and each has a slightly different design and features. Performing an abdominal crunch in a seated position helps you keep your neck in a neutral position and allows you to use resistance to increase the effects of the exercise.
Bowflex Gyms
Bowflex gyms have a flat bench that inclines or an upright weight bench. You can do the seated abdominal exercise on either type of bench. If you have a flat bench, you will need to set it at the 45-degree incline. The back of the upright bench does not adjust, but you should set the seat at the lowest position for the seated abdominal crunch exercise.
Upright Bench Bowflex
To do the seated abdominal crunch on a Bowflex with an upright bench, sit in the seat, grab the handles and pull them over the top of your shoulders. Tuck your elbows into your sides and rest your hands on your chest or shoulders. Exhale as you crunch forward while rounding out your lower back. Think of pulling your ribs toward your hips. Complete 10 to 15 repetitions, taking two seconds to crunch, pausing for one second and taking two seconds to return to the starting position. Some Bowflex machines, such as the Xtreme 2 SE, include a shoulder harness. The harness wraps around your neck, with the straps hanging past your chest. This is more comfortable on your neck and shoulders than using the regular Bowflex cables.
Incline Bench Bowflex
To do the seated abdominal crunch on a Bowflex with a full bench, set the bench at the 45-degree incline position. Grab the handles and hold them over your shoulders with your palms facing up. Your elbows will point forward. Exhale and crunch forward, pulling your ribs toward your hips. Your lower back should stay in contact with the backrest throughout the movement. Complete 10 to 15 repetitions, taking two seconds to crunch, pausing for one second and taking two seconds to return to the starting position.
Variations
You also can do a seated twist abdominal crunch on a Bowflex machine. Set yourself up the same way as for the regular seated crunch. As you curl, point your shoulder toward the opposite knee. Allow your lower back to round and focus on pulling your ribs toward your hips. Complete all the repetitions on one side or alternate sides. As with any seated abdominal crunch, your lower back should stay in contact with bench.
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