Exercises to Develop and Maintain a Flat Abdominal Wall
Reverse Sit-Up
Start with five and increase gradually.
- Lie on back with knees bent and arms at sides, palms down.
- Keeping knees bent, raise legs until knees are past level of breasts or above face. Raise buttocks toward upper body. Head and shoulders stay flat.
- Return to starting position and repeat.
Note: You may notice a tendency to press down or grip the floor with the hands, or you may feel a strain in the neck or upper shoulders as you attempt to reach the desired height with the knees. This will disappear as you become stronger and more relaxed with the movement. [Remember to breathe with this exercise]
This exercise works the lower fibers of the rectus muscles as well as the external obliques. To work the horizontal fibers you should also perform the reverse trunk twists.
Reverse Trunk Twists
Start with five and increase gradually.
- Lie on back with arms out at sides with legs raised ninety degrees from the floor. With knees bent slightly.
- Lower legs to right and touch floor with outside of foot. Shoulders and arms must remain on floor at all times.
- Return to starting position and repeat, alternating sides on each repetition. [After a time, you will probably notice increased flexibility of your midsection while performing this exercise.]
Advanced action:
Begin with same starting position, but with legs straight out. Legs should remain straight as they are lowered to side. Be sure to press your back to the floor as you come toward the center each time.
Note: If your shoulders come off the floor as you drop your legs to the side, have someone hold them down. This person should be on all fours with his or her hands on your shoulder joints [not the neck area], arms straight and shoulders directly above yours. As flexibility and strength increase, you will not need assistance.
On the advanced exercise, if you have difficulty in keeping the legs straight because of tight hamstring muscles bend your knees slightly but keep the legs together. The more the knees are bent, the easier it is to do this exercise. Doing it in the straight-leg position is the most effective so try to work up to it.
The reverse trunk twist works all portions of the external and internal obliques, tightening the front and sides of the abdominal wall much more than any other abdominal exercise. This exercise also strengthens the spine because it uses the small muscles-both the deep and the surface muscles-that hold the bony vertebrae together and twist the spine. Strengthening these muscles will ease the typical overuse backache and may help prevent injuries that occur when quick twisting movements are executed.
The U-Seat
Start with five and increase gradually to a maximum of twenty.
- Lie on back with arms behind head, knees bent and feet on the floor.
- At the same time, raise head and begin raising knees towards chest. As the head and knees are in motion, begin raising shoulders and buttocks off floor. Continue both actions and try to touch knees to chest. At the end of these movements, your pelvis and upper body should be off the floor. Do not push head and neck forward with hands-simply rest head in hands, letting the shoulders do the work.
- Return to starting position and repeat.
Note: Knees should be brought up quickly but smoothly using the abdominals to develop momentum, this action makes it easier to raise the pelvis. Think of it as two steps [1] raise head and knees, then [2] raise shoulders and buttocks. This timing allows for proper coordination and smooth movement between pelvis and chest.
When performed correctly and smoothly, the U-seat exercise maximally involves both the upper and lower portions of your abdominals.