About The “Best Stomach Exercise”
Of all the abdominal exercises, this is my personal favorite. I actually think it’s the best stomach exercise out there. If you’re able to perform it properly, I highly recommend implementing it into your workout program. It’s tricky at first but you’ll eventually master the movement and once you do, you’ll feel it the next day as you sit up out of bed. The most common mistakes when performing this movement relate to timing. Don’t sit up until your feet make contact with the ground and make sure you allow the medicine ball to roll off your fingertips in a fluid movement rather than moving to an upright position and throwing from there.
Video
Get A Free Workout Program
Detailed Workout Programs Designed By Certified Personal Trainers.
Get Them Now!
How To Do The Best Stomach Exercise
- From a seated position, flex knees to a 90 degree angle and lean back slightly till you feel a slight isometric contraction on the abdominal region.
- Grasp an appropriately weighted medicine ball with arms fully extended and hold directly above your chest.
- While keeping arms extended, lower back down to the mat in a controlled motion. As you lower yourself, allow the weighted ball to drift back until making slight contact with the mat. In this position, your mid-arm should be lined up at ear level and you should be in complete contact with the mat with the exception of your flexed legs.
- Flex at the hips , extend legs and anteriorly rotate pelvis (raise legs till bum curls off of the mat). Hold the extended leg position, contract the lower abdominals and lower down at a controlled speed. Flex at the knees as you lower your legs so you end up with legs back in the starting position.
- The moment that your heels make contact with the mat, perform a crunch and let the momentum cause the medicine ball to roll off your fingertips and into your spotters hands.
- In the upright position while contracting your abdominals, wait for your spotter to gently toss the ball back into your hands. Extend arms and lower down slowly repeating step 3.
- Repeat until desired number of repetitions are completed.
Variations
To increase the difficulty, have your spotter push down on the medicine ball on the downward phase of the movement.
Another variation is to switch the order in which the steps are performed. Example, perform three leg raises in a row or three consecutive crunch-toss movements.
A good finisher to this exercise is to superset with the plank exercise, otherwise known as the “core stabilization bridge”. Remember, the further you put your arms from under your body, the more difficult it gets to hold.
