GreenTheSky

“I’ve been done thousands time sit-up and its variations, but it’s not sixpack that I’ve got, but back pain and long-term headache”.

Have you ever sighed like that? How many times you sit-up today? Have you feel boring? Don’t let yourself become lazy to do it and your exercise ended with laying down looking at the roof. Actually, there are many alternatives for you who bored with that traditional style! And the good news is that you don’t need to lie down anymore.

Seated Ab Crunch

1. Put your arms under your butt and hold an end of a chair/bench. Slowly bring your upper body until it leans on the back and straight your leg a little lower to the front, hold your knees 10 to 15 cm from the floor.
2. After starting position is ready, start the movement with bending your knees, rise your thighs slowly, and push your body forward until your thighs are close with your front chest. Return to the starting position, repeat the movement until 12 repetitions. Add repetition if you already get usual.

Medicine Ball Torso Rotation

1. Sit on the floor (position is in the picture), hold a ball behind your left side with your upper part body bending a little to the back side.
2. Then quickly, roll the ball to the other side through your back and bend your upper part also to follow the ball to the other side. Catch that ball and repeat it to the other side again. Do it 10 repetitions for each side.

The Captain’s Chair

1. Positioned yourself to stand and lean on straight then slowly lift your knees as high as possible until reach your chest then slowly lower your knees again.
2. Do it over until you can reach your own repetitions. Make sure that your upper body and butt didn’t move when you lift your knees because if they moved, it means you train your thigh’s muscle not your stomach.

Based on EMG (Electromyography), “The Captain’s Chair” is a stomach exercise which become the first grade in effectiveness of stomach muscle activity (sit-up and crunch are in 11th grade).

Hanging Knee Raise

Variation

1. Your body position in this style is just stand straight from head until foot with your hands hold tight on a pole above your head. Make sure the pole is strong and tall enough.
2. Slowly, lift your knees until reaching your chest then lower them back again. If you can do it for 12 repetitions without a problem, verify the difficulty with not bent your knees but lift your straight legs forward as high as you can or by pinching a ball. It also can be varied by keeping bend your knees in front of your chest and move them to the right and left, this is done to train oblique.

Standing Cable Crunch

It’s rather different from the captain’s chair, in this style you have to bend forward your upper part to the lowest position by pulling weight cable hold by your hands through your shoulder while the knees and legs are stay straight there. Do it 12-15 repetitions, increase its difficulty by adding the weight cable.

Vacuum Style

1. Take deep breath and lift your chest.
2. Then still lift your chest, release your breath and try to “push back” your stomach. You will feel your muscle around your waist become tighter. Hold this position for a few seconds then let it free. That’s one rep. start with 5 reps everyday where 1 rep is done for 2-3 seconds. More often, more usual you do it. Don’t forget to add repetition and longer time for holding your breath.

This style needs concentration and focus mental to do it. When you do it for the first time, do it in front of the mirror so you can watch the process which happens to your stomach. Of course if your stomach is still a little bigger, the pushing and tighten process won’t be seen clearly, you just can feel the process.