I call this the all-in-one
abdominal exercise because it works the abdominal muscles from almost
every
possible angle. You end up working the lower, upper and middle sections
of your abs as well as your oblique stomach muscles. It also
strengthens the
core of your body.
This exercise incorporates the bicycle movement with the ab crunch and
short
pauses in between. It is really an excellent stomach exercise,
especially when you are pressed for time or when you don’t
have time
for a longer ab workout.
When you perform your repetitions for this exercise slowly and
properly, you will really
feel its benefits and hopefully see some great results.
Here is how you perform this exercise:
Lie flat on your back.
Bring your legs up,
bent at the knees and at a 90 degree angle.
Put your hands behind
your head.
From the right side,
simultaneously, bring one knee to your chest along with your arm and
elbow until they touch. As you are doing this, you will lift yourself
using your abs, making sure your lower back is still pressed against
the floor. This ab portion of the movement is similar to a side
abdominal crunch with leg movement. You hold this position for 3
seconds. Don’t forget to breathe in here. Simultaneously,
bring your hands back to the floor and your legs to the 90 degree
position. Breathe out here.
Repeat this movement
in the middle, but this time both feet and arms come in and you hold
for 3 seconds. No different than an ab crunch except that both feet are
brought towards your chest. Bring both your hands back to the floor and
your feet to the 90 degree angle.
Now finish the
exercise on the left side by performing the same movement that you did
on the right side.
Don’t
forget to breathe. Try to inhale when you bring your arms and legs in
and exhale as you release or return to the starting position.
Repeat the movements.
In all, I recommend that you perform about 8-16 repetitions in 1 or 2
sets, depending on the length of the stomach workout that you are
doing. This exercise should be done very slowly to maximize your
results.
I’ve also put together a short ab video demonstrating how to
perform this exercise. It’s difficult to talk and perform
this exercise, therefore the above description should complement the
video.
