How to do Exercise Ball Modified Jackknife

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ByRULPPSys[/youtube]

Instructions

Preparation

  1. Place ball on the floor and stand directly behind it.
  2. Lower yourself down and rest your abdomen on the ball, face down.
  3. Touch the floor with your hands and roll forward until your shins and ankles are resting on top of the ball. At this point, your body is parallel to the floor while your arms are perpendicular.

Execution

  1. Bend at the knees and draw them closer to your upper body, rolling the ball closer to your body. Try to keep your balance on the ball.
  2. Immediately stop when your hamstrings are directly perpendicular to the floor and the balls of your feet are facing upward.

Return

Stretch your legs back out at the same time and assume your initial position.

Repeat
 
Will this be your first time to try the exercise ball jackknife? Send in any comments you have below.

How to do Weighted Decline Sit-Ups

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcHkaMnjz-g[/youtube]

Instructions

Preparation

  1. Set an adjustable decline bench to 20-45 degrees (higher decline makes the exercise more difficult)
  2. Hook your feet under the pad
  3. Grab the weight and hold it firmly to your chest by crossing your arms

Execution

  1. Lie back while holding the plate
  2. Inhale deeply
  3. Using your abs, sit-up while firmly holding the plate

Return

Carefully and with control, Lie back to the starting position

Repeat
 
Do you have other exercises using the decline bench? Share them with us by providing your suggestions below.

How to do Weighted Exercise Ball Crunches

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfsLM4V-IRs[/youtube]

Instructions

Preparation

  1. Lie flat on the floor, facing the ceiling.
  2. Bend your knees and position the ball securely between your knees.
  3. Bend your elbows and put your hands on each side of your head, fingers lightly touching the sides.

Execution

  1. Lift your knees toward the direction of your upper torso as you blow out air.
  2. Simultaneously lift your shoulders slightly off the floor.

Return

Slowly lower your shoulders and your legs back down to the original position as you inhale, but make sure your feet don’t touch the ground.

Repeat
 
Are exercise balls a regular part of your training? Tell us how by providing your experience below.

How to do Barbell Abs Rollout

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBIo0oeMpaM[/youtube]

Get yourself ready for a complete abs experience with the barbell abs rollout. Many six pack abs strategies include this exercise as part of your training because of the high level of intensity it provides your abdominal muscles that helps stabilize your spine aside from getting you ripped abs. As you stretch out your arms, roll forward then back, you also work your shoulders and lats to increase strength.

In order to ensure that barbell abs rollout will work as intended, ensure that it is your abs that are doing most of the work and not your shoulders. Likewise, be careful not to let your hips sag or arch your lower back too high as you roll out the barbell. Once you keep these in mind, you can effectively target your core as you would like it to be.

When doing barbell abs rollout, choose a weight that has the maximum weight you can handle to add stress to the target muscles but without having to sacrifice form. Key to this exercise is to do it deliberately and with full concentration.

Watch this step by step video on barbell abs rollout so that you too, can include this in your six pack abs exercises correctly and safely.

Instructions

Preparation

  1. Choose a barbell with your desired weight and place it in front of you on the floor.
  2. Kneel down to the ground and bend forward until your hands are holding on to the bar, shoulder width apart and arms fully extended.

Execution

  1. Carefully roll your upper body forward and allow the barbell to roll forward as well. All that’s touching the floor at this point are your knees.
  2. Stop when both arms are still perpendicular to the ground and your upper body is still a few inches off the floor.

Return

Carefully pull yourself back using the bottom half of your body so as not to put added stress on your shoulders.

Repeat
 
Any experience with barbell ab rollouts? Share them with us and leave your comments below.

How to do Close Hand Push Ups

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP4nMKx8VBs[/youtube]

If you are looking for the kind of push ups that trains your triceps as hard as your chest, then doing close hand push ups would just be your thing. For such a rather simple upper extremity exercise that requires no special equipment but yourself, close hand push ups can provide you with tremendous power and strength.

This exercise can be extremely useful especially for women who tend to have flabby arms with age. Doing this particular form of push ups will serve to replace fat build up in this area with stronger, firmer arms.

Some people would find doing close hand push ups a little more exhausting than the wider version. But then, this could only mean having stimulated more of your target muscles. Apart from your triceps and chest, your shoulders and abs likewise receive a good training with each upper body lifting you do.

Close hand push ups are another proof of how versatile push ups can be. Moreover, as long as you are doing them all in proper form, then it is not a question of which variation is better or worse but simply a matter of which particular muscle groups you would like to strengthen.

Instructions

Preparation

  1. Start off by lying on the floor face down.
  2. Position your hands directly beneath you so they are aligned with your shoulders.

Execution

  1. Push with your arms and lift your body off the ground so that your hands and toes are the only parts touching the floor.
  2. Position your hands next to each other by forming a triangle on the floor with your thumbs and index fingers.

Return

Carefully set yourself back down just a couple of inches away from the ground.

Repeat
 
Is this one of your favorite exercises? Tell us why by commenting below.