50. Flexed Knees Up
In this simple exercise for beginners, you start by laying with your back flat on the floor, keeping the legs together and extended. Keep your arms extended along your body with palms on the floor for balance. From this starting position, exhaling, raise both of your legs and bending them at the knee in the air move them towards your waist until your knees are above your pelvis and you feel a stretch in your abs. Hold the contraction then return back to the starting position, breathing in.
51. Alternate Heel Touchers
Lie on the floor with the knees bent and the feet on the floor around 20 inches apart. Your arms are extended by your side. Crunch over your torso forward and up about 3-4 inches to the right side and touch your right heel as you hold the contraction for a second. Exhale while performing this movement. Now go back slowly to the starting position as you inhale. Now crunch over your torso forward and up around 3-4 inches to the left side and touch your left heel as you hold the contraction for a second. Exhale while performing this movement and then go back to the starting position as you inhale.
52. Crunch Bench Oblique Crunches
Secure your legs at the end of the decline bench and slowly lay down on the bench. Raise your upper body off the bench until your torso is about 30-40 degrees if measured from the floor and put both hands behind your head Raise your upper body slowly while turning your torso to the left. Continue crunching up as you exhale taking your right elbow close to your left knee. Hold this contracted position for a second. Lower your body back down slowly to the starting position as you inhale and repeat on the other side. Focus on keeping your abs tight and keeping the movement slow and controlled.
53. Dancer’s Twist
The Dancer’s twists is similar to the Ballet Twist – side stretching in a modified half-crunch. Sit on the floor extending one leg and bending the other, while supporting yourself with your hands behind you. Keep your abs engaged as you exhale and twist your torso and bring one arm over the bended knee, leaving the other hand in its place for support. Hold the contraction of your abs to support your spine as you return to center, inhaling.
54. Decline Ab Reach
Set a decline bench at a height of between 30 and 45 degrees. The higher you set the bench the more challenging the exercise will be. Position yourself on the bench with your head at the lowest end. Get into the starting position by putting your hands together pointing at the ceiling and raising your shoulder blades slightly off the bench. Keeping your hands together, reach straight up towards the ceiling as far as possible. Pause, then lower yourself back to the starting position (with your shoulder blades off the bench).
55. V-Up
Begin lying face-up on the floor with your legs stretched up straight and your arms reaching up over your head. Keeping your feet and hands extended, contract your abs in a crunch as you exhale; use the strength of your core to lift your torso and legs off the ground, as if bringing your hands and feet together and reaching for your toes. Imagine that you are trying to lift your whole body off the ground so that you end with just your tailbone touching the floor. This isn’t exactly possible, but that’s the essence of the movement and the direction that you want to go. Return to the ground with your hands and feet in their starting position and repeat.
56. Sit-Up Reach
You start by laying with your back flat on the floor, keeping the legs bent and feet planted on the floor for stability. From this starting position, exhaling, take both of your hands and keeping them extended move them towards your knees and feel a stretch in your abs, then return back to the starting position, breathing in.
57. Reverse Crunch
Lie down on the floor with your legs fully extended and arms to the side of your torso with the palms on the floor. Keep your arms stationary for the entire exercise. Move your legs up so that your thighs are perpendicular to the floor and feet are together and parallel to the floor. While inhaling, move your legs towards the torso as you roll your pelvis backwards and you raise your hips off the floor. At the end of this movement your knees will be touching your chest. Hold the contraction for a second and move your legs back to the starting position while exhaling.
Read more on the next page.
58. Fitness – Bicycle Crunches
Sit on the floor with your feet extended in approximately 60 degree angle and your arms extending sideways from your torso. Tensing your abs and exhaling, bring your right hand towards your left foot until you touch it. Go back to the initial position as you breathe in and do likewise with the left hand and the right foot.
59. Warrior Pose
Start from a standing position, stepping your feet wide apart, your hands on your thighs. Turn your torso and left leg to the left. With the left knee bent, engage the legs to ground down through the feet. Make sure the left knee is directly over the left ankle. Relax the shoulders down and draw the shoulder blades towards the spine to open the chest. Raise the arms over the head with the palms facing each other. Keep the shoulders relaxed and the chest lifted. Keep breathing and hold for 3-6 breaths. To release, exhale and lower the hands down to the floor.
60. Downward Facing Dog
Stand on four limbs, such that your body forms a table-like structure. Now lower your pelvis slightly and extend the hand in front of you, as shown in the second illustration, feeling a stretch in your back, arm and chest muscles. For the final phase, exhale and gently lift your hips and straighten your elbows and knees. You need to ensure your body forms an inverted ‘V’. Your hands should be in line with your shoulders, and your feet in line with your hips. Make sure that your toes point outwards. Now, press your hands into the ground and lengthen your neck. Your ears should touch your inner arms, and you should turn your gaze to your navel. Hold for a few seconds, and then, bend your knees and return to the table position.
61. Standing Spread Leg Forward Fold
Start from a standing position. Step your feet wide apart. Turn your toes slightly in and your heels slightly out so the edges of your feet are parallel to the edges of your mat. Bring the palms together in front of you. Inhale and lengthen your torso, reaching the crown of your head up toward the ceiling. Exhaling, fold forward at the hips. Keep the front of your torso long, your neck straight. Shift your weight slightly forward onto the balls of your feet. Lengthen your spine on your inhalations and fold deeper on your exhalations. Hold for up to one minute. Press firmly through your feet and inhale to lift your torso with a flat back. Step your feet together and return to the starting position.
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62. Half Moon Pose
On a mat, bend your torso downward, keeping your feet wide apart, right arm on the floor, the left on the hip along your torso. Now with the right foot forward, inhale and step forward onto it, straightening the right leg. Straighten the left leg up parallel to the floor. Staring at a point on the floor, place the right palm directly under the right shoulder. Roll the left hip up and back so the hips face the side wall. Raise the fingertips on your left had up towards the ceiling. Turn the head to face the side wall. Try to keep the whole torso facing the side wall. Breathe and hold for 3-5 breaths. To release: exhale and slowly bring both hands back to the floor and step the foot back into the starting position. Repeat on other side to complete the exercise.
63. Revolved Side Angle Pose
Start with your right leg forward and the left knee on the ground, the torso straight up. On an exhale, place your palms together and twist over your right thigh. Hook the left triceps over the right quadriceps. Press your palms together to open further and extend your left leg behind you for support. Open your arms up. Place the left fingertips on your mat or plant the palm alongside your foot. Lift your right arm up, palm facing down, and draw it forward beside your ear. Hold here. Come out by drawing your hands into prayer. On an exhale, press into your feet and lift back up to the starting position. Repeat on the opposite side.
64. Standing Forward Bend
Stand with your feet together. Bend your knees slightly and fold your torso over your legs, moving from the hips, not the lower back. Place your hands next to your feet or on the ground in front of you. Inhale and extend your chest to lengthen your spine. Keep your gaze directed forward. Exhale and gently press both legs toward straight. Lift the kneecaps and gently spiral your upper, inner thighs back. Keep your legs straight without hyperextending. On an exhalation, extend your torso down without rounding your back. Stay long throughout your neck, extending the crown of your head toward the ground. Move your hands down behind the legs.
65. Triangle Pose
From a standing position with the legs 3 feet apart, turn the right toes to the right wall and the left toes slightly inwards. Inhale and press the left hips out to the left as you slide both arms to the right parallel to the floor. Exhale and rotate only the arms, raising the left arm up and resting the right hand against the right leg, with the palms facing forward. Press into the feet, pull up the knee caps, keeping the legs strong. Reach the finger tips away from each other, bringing the arms into one straight line with the shoulders stacked on top of each other. Press the left hip forward and the right hip back. Breathe and hold for 3-6 breaths. To release: inhale and reach the raised hand up towards the ceiling as you press down into the feet using the whole body to lift back into the starting position. Repeat on the other side.
66. Wide-legged Forward Bend
Start from a standing position, stepping your feet wide apart, your hands on your thighs. With a flat back exhale forward bringing the palms to the floor under the shoulders. Use the arms to pull the forehead down towards the floor, bending the elbows towards the back wall. Press into the feet, lengthening the legs to press the hips up toward the ceiling. Feel the spine being pulled in opposite directions as you press the head down and lift the hips up. Breathe and hold for 3-8 breaths. To release, reach the arms out to the sides and inhale back up into the starting position.
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42. Twisting Hanging Leg Raise
Grab a pullup bar with an overhand grip with your hands a couple of inches wider than the width of your shoulders. Allow your body to hang straight, and then bend your knees (slightly) and hips to lift your legs until your waist, then twist and raise your legs to one side, keeping your legs extended, with knees slightly bent. Return to the original hanging position and then lift and twist your legs to the other side. The twisting in this hanging legs rise variation from the Part 1 of this article provides more work for your obliques. To challenge yourself further, don’t return to the starting hanging position, but instead stop when your legs become parallel to the ground and then twist on the other side and raise the legs.
43. Standing Barbell Twist
The standing barbell twist exercise focuses on your obliques. Grab a light barbell and rest it on the muscle on the back of your neck, keeping your head facing forward. Make sure not to rest the weight on your neck. Stand up straight, with your feet firmly on the floor at a wider than shoulder width stance, keeping your back straight. Slowly twist your torso to the right and then to the left. Tense up your mid-section. Twist as far as possible. Do not move your head with the twist, but keep eyes facing forward. Try to keep your abs tight throughout the whole set.
44. Side Crunches on a Roman Chair
Sit on a roman chair and tuck your feet behind the padded bar. Lean back, keeping your back straight until your torso is in line with your hips. Place your hands behind your head, with your elbows on the inside. Exhale and engage your abdominals in a crunch and raise your torso, moving your right elbow to the left knee. Hold the contraction for a second, then, inhaling, return to the starting position, but do not rest your torso on the bench (as shown on the first illustration). Keep the movements slow and controlled. Repeat the same on the other side, by bringing the felt elbow to your right knee.
45. Standing Oblique Twists with Plate
During this exercise your stand with your feet hip-width apart, while holding the weight with both hands. Bring your arms at your chest, then, using your abs, twist your torso as you bring your arms to the left side of your body, then the right. Keep your body still during the motion; only your torso moves. Exhale on the turns, inhale when coming back.
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46. Exercise Ball – Jackknife
Begin with your shoelaces on the top of the ball and upper body fully extended in push up position. Tighten your abs, keep your upper body steady, and pull the ball into your chest using your lower abs. Maintain a flat lower back throughout, resisting any tendency to arch it when pulling in. Hold the contraction for 1 second, roll the ball back out to starting position, and repeat. As this gets easier, increase the number of reps per set.
47. Exercise Ball – One Leg Extension
Lie on your upper back with the hands extended on the floor for balance and one leg extended in the air, the other flexed at the knee on an exercise ball. The bottom of your foot is on the ball, which is close to your hip on the starting position. Tensing your abs, exhale, and keeping your balance, use the flexed leg to roll the ball until your leg is extended forwards. Return to the starting position as you inhale. Alternate sides after each completed set.
48. Exercise Ball – Raised Legs Crunch
Lying flat on your back with the arms behind your head and squeezing an exercise ball in between your legs, flexed at the knees. Raise the ball with your feet extending them in the air and exhaling, raise your shoulders of the floor tensing your abs. Hold the contraction for a second, then inhale and return to the starting position.
49. Exercise Ball – Sitting Twists
Sit upright on an exercise ball, placing your hands behind your head and planting your feet firmly on the ground. This is your starting position. Slowly turn to the side while exhaling, bringing your left elbow to your right knee by using your waist and tensing your abdomen, while keeping the legs immobile and balancing on the ball. Hold the contraction for a second then return to the starting position while inhaling and do the same on the opposite side.
Read more on the next page.
50. Flexed Knees Up
In this simple exercise for beginners, you start by laying with your back flat on the floor, keeping the legs together and extended. Keep your arms extended along your body with palms on the floor for balance. From this starting position, exhaling, raise both of your legs and bending them at the knee in the air move them towards your waist until your knees are above your pelvis and you feel a stretch in your abs. Hold the contraction then return back to the starting position, breathing in.
51. Alternate Heel Touchers
Lie on the floor with the knees bent and the feet on the floor around 20 inches apart. Your arms are extended by your side. Crunch over your torso forward and up about 3-4 inches to the right side and touch your right heel as you hold the contraction for a second. Exhale while performing this movement. Now go back slowly to the starting position as you inhale. Now crunch over your torso forward and up around 3-4 inches to the left side and touch your left heel as you hold the contraction for a second. Exhale while performing this movement and then go back to the starting position as you inhale.
52. Crunch Bench Oblique Crunches
Secure your legs at the end of the decline bench and slowly lay down on the bench. Raise your upper body off the bench until your torso is about 30-40 degrees if measured from the floor and put both hands behind your head Raise your upper body slowly while turning your torso to the left. Continue crunching up as you exhale taking your right elbow close to your left knee. Hold this contracted position for a second. Lower your body back down slowly to the starting position as you inhale and repeat on the other side. Focus on keeping your abs tight and keeping the movement slow and controlled.
53. Dancer’s Twist
The Dancer’s twists is similar to the Ballet Twist – side stretching in a modified half-crunch. Sit on the floor extending one leg and bending the other, while supporting yourself with your hands behind you. Keep your abs engaged as you exhale and twist your torso and bring one arm over the bended knee, leaving the other hand in its place for support. Hold the contraction of your abs to support your spine as you return to center, inhaling.
54. Decline Ab Reach
Set a decline bench at a height of between 30 and 45 degrees. The higher you set the bench the more challenging the exercise will be. Position yourself on the bench with your head at the lowest end. Get into the starting position by putting your hands together pointing at the ceiling and raising your shoulder blades slightly off the bench. Keeping your hands together, reach straight up towards the ceiling as far as possible. Pause, then lower yourself back to the starting position (with your shoulder blades off the bench).
55. V-Up
Begin lying face-up on the floor with your legs stretched up straight and your arms reaching up over your head. Keeping your feet and hands extended, contract your abs in a crunch as you exhale; use the strength of your core to lift your torso and legs off the ground, as if bringing your hands and feet together and reaching for your toes. Imagine that you are trying to lift your whole body off the ground so that you end with just your tailbone touching the floor. This isn’t exactly possible, but that’s the essence of the movement and the direction that you want to go. Return to the ground with your hands and feet in their starting position and repeat.
56. Sit-Up Reach
You start by laying with your back flat on the floor, keeping the legs bent and feet planted on the floor for stability. From this starting position, exhaling, take both of your hands and keeping them extended move them towards your knees and feel a stretch in your abs, then return back to the starting position, breathing in.
57. Reverse Crunch
Lie down on the floor with your legs fully extended and arms to the side of your torso with the palms on the floor. Keep your arms stationary for the entire exercise. Move your legs up so that your thighs are perpendicular to the floor and feet are together and parallel to the floor. While inhaling, move your legs towards the torso as you roll your pelvis backwards and you raise your hips off the floor. At the end of this movement your knees will be touching your chest. Hold the contraction for a second and move your legs back to the starting position while exhaling.
Read more on the next page.
Original article and pictures take www.thehealthsciencejournal.com site
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