Start/Finish
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Midpoint
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Caution: Hinge from a point just above your pelvis, not your hips, which takes the load off the abs.
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Start Position
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet together six inches above
the floor. Place your hands behind your head, like you would if you were getting
ready to do an ab crunch.
The Movement
Keeping your feet close to your hips, contract your lower abs, slowly bringing
your knees toward your chest and lifting your butt off the floor. Once you have
curled your lower body as far as you can, slowly lower to the starting position.
Repeat.
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This is one of the easier lower ab exercises, but that doesn't mean it is easy
to do. When you effectively isolate the lower abs (as best as you can) they
fatigue rather quickly, and you'll feel them. You'll really feel the
lower abs when you kick in to high gear and move through this exercise slowly,
with focus.
This is a perfect exercise to learn (or relearn) how to focus on the lower abs—to
contract the muscle in this Region. Use it, build from it, and then return to it
when a higher degree of difficulty is too much.
Women generally have longer legs and shorter upper
bodies than men, which makes this exercise easier for them. Thus, to increase
the challenge of this lower ab exercise, I suggest doing this exercise on an
incline bench—placing your hips lower than your chest increases gravity,
resistance, and range of motion.
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Breathe out as you curl your legs into your chest, in as you lower your legs.
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To make this exercise a bit harder and more intense, simply place your hands,
palms down, on the floor by your hips.
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Visualize yourself curling up into a ball.
Cautions
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Hinge from a point just above your pelvis, not at your hips.
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Don't kick your feet on the way up; keep them as close as you can to your butt.
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