Crunches

Try these crunches instead of traditional sit-ups. They work great on the abdominal muscles without straining the neck or back.

Lie on the floor and do a set of traditional crunches, with your arms behind your head and your knees bent.

• Start by lying face up on the floor with knees bent.
• The movement begins by curling or ‘crunching’ the shoulders towards the pelvis.
• When in full crunch position, hold for 5 seconds.
• Lower back to the floor and repeat.

Crunch Variations

• The reverse crunch is a crunch done with the legs instead of the chest.

• The twisting crunch is performed by lifting one shoulder at a time. More emphasis is placed on the obliques.
• The Thai crunch is performed by hitting the stomach after full contraction. This variation is used by Muay Thai fighters to condition the core to take hits from punches or knees.
• The bicycle crunch is performed by bringing together alternating elbows and knees, resulting in a leg motion similar to pedaling a bicycle. The bicycle crunch is the most effective in targeting the rectus abdominis and the obliques, according to a study done by the American Council on Exercise.

Side Bends

Tones: obliques (side muscles of your abs)

·        Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, holding a 5 lb dumbbell in each hand, with your palms facing your body. (Two gallon bottles of water can be substituted for the dumbbells)

·        Lean your torso to the right as far as you can, while lowering the dumbbell along your right thigh, stopping when the weight is just above your knee, as pictured above.

·        Don't bend or strain your neck sideways. Instead, keep your head and neck in line with the trunk of your body as much as possible.

·        Slowly lift your body and the dumbbell back to the starting position, then repeat the move on your left side to complete one set. 

Complete 3 sets of 20. If you don't have the weights, do the exercise anyway!

Wall Push-Ups

 

       

Works chest, shoulders, triceps and core.

·        Place your hands shoulder-width apart on a sturdy wall in front of you, feet slightly apart and with your back and legs straight.

·        Lift your heels to balance on your toes and lean forward slightly so most of your weight is on your arms.

·        Inhale as you bend your elbows and lean your body farther toward the wall, maintaining a long, straight line from head to toe.

• Exhale as you straighten your arms to complete 1 repetition.

Complete 3 sets of 20 repetitions