Beginner Abs & Back

icandoit
icandoit Posts: 4,163 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Beginner Abs & Back
The following exercises are basic moves targeting the abs and back. Always avoid any exercises that cause pain and, if you feel lower back strain, modify the move to a comfortable range of motion or place a rolled up towel under your hips to support your lower back.

Check with your doctor if you have any injuries or medical conditions
Warm up with some light cardio before this workout
Perform each exercise for at least 1 set of 10-16 reps.
Do each exercise slowly and focus on good form for each rep
Crunches
Lie on your back with your hands crossed across your chest or with your fingers on the sides of your head. Place your feet on the floor with legs bent. To begin the exercise, lift your torso, lifting shoulder blades off the floor and crunching your rib cage towards your lower belly. Hold for two counts, then lower slowly to the starting position. Repeat.
Reverse Crunches
Lie on your back with knees bent, feet a few inches off the floor. Slowly contract the abdominals, focusing on rotating the pelvis up and bringing your knees towards your rib cage. Concentrate on letting your abs do the work. Hold at the top then slowly lower your knees to the starting position. Repeat.


Oblique Crossover Crunches
Lie on your back with knees bent, hands behind your head. Keeping lower back pressed into the floor, lift your shoulder blades off the floor and then curl your upper body diagonally across your body towards your right knee. Contract your abs and obliques as hard as you can at the top of the movement. Lower back down and repeat on the same side before switching sides.

Plank
Begin by placing elbows on the floor and resting body on the knees. Pull the abs tight to hold your body in a straight line from head to knees without sagging in the middle, eyes looking naturally forward. Hold this position for as long as you can, relax and repeat 3 or more times.



Dead Bug
Begin by lying on back, knees up and bent at 90 degrees. Take the arms straight up overhead and hold this position for a moment, making sure abs are in tight and your back isn't arching off the floor (if it is, lower the feet to the ground for this exercise). Slowly lower the right arm and left leg towards the floor while keeping the lower back on the floor. Bring them back up and lower the left arm and right leg to the floor. Continue lowering opposite arm and leg for a total of 10 reps.

Back Extensions
Lie face down with hands either behind the back or lightly cradling the head. Lift upper body off the ground a few inches, keeping head and neck in alignment. For a challenge, then lift feet off the ground keeping legs straight (knees don't have to be together), hold for 2-4 counts and lower.

Superhumans
Begin on hands and knees, hand directly under shoulders, knees under hips and back straight, abs tight. Slowly raise right arm and left leg up until level with the body, holding your balance and keeping torso tight. Lower back down and repeat with the left arm and right leg. Take your time--this exercise will challenge your balance!

Replies

  • icandoit
    icandoit Posts: 4,163 Member
    Beginner Abs & Back
    The following exercises are basic moves targeting the abs and back. Always avoid any exercises that cause pain and, if you feel lower back strain, modify the move to a comfortable range of motion or place a rolled up towel under your hips to support your lower back.

    Check with your doctor if you have any injuries or medical conditions
    Warm up with some light cardio before this workout
    Perform each exercise for at least 1 set of 10-16 reps.
    Do each exercise slowly and focus on good form for each rep
    Crunches
    Lie on your back with your hands crossed across your chest or with your fingers on the sides of your head. Place your feet on the floor with legs bent. To begin the exercise, lift your torso, lifting shoulder blades off the floor and crunching your rib cage towards your lower belly. Hold for two counts, then lower slowly to the starting position. Repeat.
    Reverse Crunches
    Lie on your back with knees bent, feet a few inches off the floor. Slowly contract the abdominals, focusing on rotating the pelvis up and bringing your knees towards your rib cage. Concentrate on letting your abs do the work. Hold at the top then slowly lower your knees to the starting position. Repeat.


    Oblique Crossover Crunches
    Lie on your back with knees bent, hands behind your head. Keeping lower back pressed into the floor, lift your shoulder blades off the floor and then curl your upper body diagonally across your body towards your right knee. Contract your abs and obliques as hard as you can at the top of the movement. Lower back down and repeat on the same side before switching sides.

    Plank
    Begin by placing elbows on the floor and resting body on the knees. Pull the abs tight to hold your body in a straight line from head to knees without sagging in the middle, eyes looking naturally forward. Hold this position for as long as you can, relax and repeat 3 or more times.



    Dead Bug
    Begin by lying on back, knees up and bent at 90 degrees. Take the arms straight up overhead and hold this position for a moment, making sure abs are in tight and your back isn't arching off the floor (if it is, lower the feet to the ground for this exercise). Slowly lower the right arm and left leg towards the floor while keeping the lower back on the floor. Bring them back up and lower the left arm and right leg to the floor. Continue lowering opposite arm and leg for a total of 10 reps.

    Back Extensions
    Lie face down with hands either behind the back or lightly cradling the head. Lift upper body off the ground a few inches, keeping head and neck in alignment. For a challenge, then lift feet off the ground keeping legs straight (knees don't have to be together), hold for 2-4 counts and lower.

    Superhumans
    Begin on hands and knees, hand directly under shoulders, knees under hips and back straight, abs tight. Slowly raise right arm and left leg up until level with the body, holding your balance and keeping torso tight. Lower back down and repeat with the left arm and right leg. Take your time--this exercise will challenge your balance!
  • ariannedavis
    ariannedavis Posts: 520 Member
    icandoit,
    Could you site your sources? I would like to pass along some of this info in my classes, but need to know where it comes from. Keep up the great job!
    Arianne :smile:
  • icandoit
    icandoit Posts: 4,163 Member
    icandoit,
    Could you site your sources? I would like to pass along some of this info in my classes, but need to know where it comes from. Keep up the great job!
    Arianne :smile:

    this one is from webmd.com under womens health and search for abs
  • ariannedavis
    ariannedavis Posts: 520 Member
    Thanks, by the way, I slipped on cite and used an s, my apologies!
  • icandoit
    icandoit Posts: 4,163 Member
    I forgive you:laugh: Have a great day!
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,783 Member
    Please note about plank - if you don't feel it, you're probably not doing it right - tuck your tail bone under and bring that butt down. Usually felt in the upper abs or sometimes the shoulders. Full yoga plank is the up of a push up. Just picture that with the arms bent, resting on the forearms. The stomach work is the same in both poses, but the bent elbow pose is easier on the wrists.
    For extra fun, come forward and touch your chin to your hands and go back up.

    And about back extensions:
    Easier: hands back by hips, palms up, lift chest off ground and arms pull back - think Peter Pan - or arms forward and think Super Man flying.
    Harder: hands behind head (please do not do this if you have neck issues), lift head and arms back, lift feet off ground with toes touching. Can scissor the legs for an inner thigh work out as well.

    The yoga teacher in me couldn't let people do these incorrectly.:happy:
  • ariannedavis
    ariannedavis Posts: 520 Member
    Please note about plank - if you don't feel it, you're probably not doing it right - tuck your tail bone under and bring that butt down. Usually felt in the upper abs or sometimes the shoulders. Full yoga plank is the up of a push up. Just picture that with the arms bent, resting on the forearms. The stomach work is the same in both poses, but the bent elbow pose is easier on the wrists.
    For extra fun, come forward and touch your chin to your hands and go back up.

    And about back extensions:
    Easier: hands back by hips, palms up, lift chest off ground and arms pull back - think Peter Pan - or arms forward and think Super Man flying.
    Harder: hands behind head (please do not do this if you have neck issues), lift head and arms back, lift feet off ground with toes touching. Can scissor the legs for an inner thigh work out as well.

    The yoga teacher in me couldn't let people do these incorrectly.:happy:

    Maybe you can help me, I have NO upper body to speak of. I am not feeling planks in my core at all but my arms are on fire. If I go any lower, I'll be lyingo n the floor, so it's not a core issue. Also, I try to do plank twists, and same thing, I can only do 20-30 sec before my arms collapse. What modifications are out there for stronger cores/weaker upper body?
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,783 Member
    arianne,

    20-30 seconds is good - once your arms strengthen, your abs will take over - just keep up with what you are doing. There really isn't a modification for an easier upper body. Just for fun, try doing it with your arms on a swiss ball (or chair if you don't have a ball). This should take some weight off the upper body - a little hard for me to tell (I just tried it) as my upper body is very strong and I have week abs. Let me know how it goes.

    For more yoga asana strengthening poses:

    Are you familiar with "boat" pose? I'm sure you've seen it on the cover of a pilates or yoga video. Looks like a "V" with your butt on the ground and torso and legs raised? That would be easy on the arms and a little work on the abs. Here's a picture: http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/489

    Also Warrior 3 pose. Here it is:
    http://www.yogamazing.com/asanas/warrior3pose.html
    a little too hard to explain. If you have a very strong core, your head and arms will get tired before anything else. You can also balance your front arms on a folding chair, couch, whatever is handy (make sure your arms are even with your leg, thereabouts) - if balance is a problem, just be aware that balance is based in the core.
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,783 Member
    Also, are plank twists the same thing as side plank? Or are you touching one hip down to the floor and back up again? Side plank requires lots of upper body strength.
  • ariannedavis
    ariannedavis Posts: 520 Member
    plank twist: begin in standard prone plank, then add lower extremity rotation. I kick butt on side-lying planks and they don't hurt my arms as badly... delts definitely stronger than bis, tris & rotator cuff! Thanks for the info, I'll try some of those. It's funny how you get comfortable with certain rehab protocols and forget there is so much more out there!:wink:

Categories