The gyms are open in Hong Kong again and it makes me so happy to see people moving and feeling great!
One thing I do notice is that people do a lot of ab exercises in the quest for that elusive six-pack!
Please make sure you are protecting your back at all times as often; ab exercises can put unnecessary strain on our backs if they are not done correctly.
Here are 3 back safe exercises you can try.
Now, before doing any of these three abdominal exercises, be sure that your head, shoulders and spine remain stationary on the ground. This positioning naturally supports core stability and protects the back.
When your lower body creates abdominal tension, as opposed to the upper body, your neck and spine can decompress too.
Reverse Curl Up
To do the reverse curl up, perform the following three steps:
Find a comfortable flat surface and lie down on your back, with arms placed to the sides of your body and palms facing the floor.
Raise both legs, in a bent position, towards your face and, by engaging the core, raise your lower body up and off the floor.
After each movement, allow your legs to slowly float away from your face, keeping the thighs and calves firmly touching one another, and back to the starting bent position. Perform 25 to 30 reverse curl-ups during each exercise session.
Oblique Twist
To do this exercise, perform the following four steps:
Find a flat surface and lie down on your back with arms positioned away from your body at shoulder level, palms facing the floor.
Bend both legs and pull them into your body with the thighs and calves firmly touching.
Slowly lower both legs to the right and hover about an inch off the ground before slowly coming back to centre.
Slowly lower both legs, in the same position, to the left, and return, slowly, to centre. Try not to use the shoulder muscles, arms, or palms for support or swing the legs from side to side. Ideally, the thighs and calves should remain touching throughout the exercise. Perform 15 to 20 oblique twists after the reverse curl-ups.
Legs Passing
To do this exercise, perform the following three steps:
Find a comfortable flat surface and lie down on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and the whole of your lower back pressed into the floor.
While keeping your lower back firmly on the floor, raise one leg towards the face in a slightly bent position. Finish the exercise by releasing the leg slowly back to the floor, keeping it partially bent until it reaches the ground.
Repeat with the opposite leg. Perform 15 passes on each side following the oblique twists.
Previous image credit: https://traineracademy.org/