anyone else think the jackknife exercise is weird?

tartsul

i just did day 1 yesterday, my husband helped me make sure my form and positioning and everything was correct. everything went really well, but we had a hard time with the last exercise, the jackknife one. it seemed very awkward and difficult to even do one. how does the woman in the picture get her butt up in the air like that? it didn't seem like a "starter" ab exercise to us... anyone else have any comments or suggestions on variations? i ended up doing an ab weight machine just to do something for my abs until we do more research.
thus far, i am really enjoying the book and the routine. can't wait to try the next workout tomorrow!

agbaeb

The prone Jackknife on the exercise ball?

If so, I start out with the ball at my knees and my body positioned like I'm about to do a pushup (except with my back half up on the ball). From there, I tuck in and until my knees are tucked up and the ball is at my feet. It's quite an intense ab workout actually.

MyOwnSunshine

Don't do an ab machine!

Just keep working at it. At first, your butt might not go up in the air. Just get your knees to your chest. Eventually, you'll get better and your form will improve. Most of us started out wobbly and awkward, but caught on fairly quickly.

Like many other exercises in the program, they are designed to challenge your balance and coordination, as well as strength and endurance.

LB2LL

I love this exercise. I was pretty wobbly at first but it's impressive when you get it down with the amount of control/balance/strength you develop from doing it. Keep it up!

chuckles9189

i fall off the ball pretty frequently.

tartsul

thanks for the input and encouragement ladies! i will keep practicing!

Luvmichnata

you can find some great video tutorials on youtube to help you understand it better. It helped me.

squishypop

One of my faves, when you get the hang of it you'll be proud of that controlled straight line you make when you extend.

Beeps2011

I agree with Luvmich - I think if you just youtube.com some videos on this, with practice, you'll get really good at it relatively quickly. I promise!

kmbweber2014

I feel the same about it. I hate it but I am doing day 3 today. I am hoping it gets easier and am going to watch some videos on it.

jenstanley13

I know one thing about the prone jackknife...I realized when I did my first workout swiss ball crunch in workout B exactly how much the jackknifes had worked my abs! I thought 8 crunches no biggie, it hurt (in a good way) because my abs were still sore from the previous workout

bonjour24

the first time i did this, i fell constantly off the ball. then i moved onto doing it on the grass for a while and it really helped. now i can do it on the concrete without too much issue (apart from getting on and off the bloody thing).

laccy40

My daughter really struggled with this one so for the first few times she just held plank position on the ball. As her core and balance got stronger she started adding in the jack knife. By the end of stage 1 she had lovely form on 15 jack knives.

Edited to say we never figured out how to get off the damn thing with any sort of elegance though!

becca2911

Lol! I don't think I will ever be able to add the pike to this exercise! I love/hate the jackknife and even after completing S1 I still fall off pretty frequently... plus I use the TINIEST ball.

If you have trouble with falling off and your gym has TRX try those. Same exercise but you can't fall off.

DFineMrsRicks

I can't stop the ball from rolling off somewhere.

zaftiggirl

I really like the prone jackknife - however, my hips pop every time I extend back into the flat position, no matter how tight I'm keeping my core. Anyone else experience that?

Also, I used to stick my butt way up in the air haha but then I watched this video and it helped simplify the move for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UySShFYfC14

tartsul

I really like the prone jackknife - however, my hips pop every time I extend back into the flat position, no matter how tight I'm keeping my core. Anyone else experience that?

Also, I used to stick my butt way up in the air haha but then I watched this video and it helped simplify the move for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UySShFYfC14

thanks for the link! that guy was crazy with all the variations he was doing, it seemed totally effortless! i am heading back to the gym tonight to make my next attempt with these. i looked at a few other youtube videos, they were really helpful. thanks again to everyone for the suggestions!