Intermediate Stomach Exercises
These exercises are for the intermediate trainer who has mastered all of the core and beginner stomach exercises and needs more of a challenge.
Once all of the following exercises have been mastered you are ready to move on the advanced stomach exercises.
By either visiting my website where pictured illustrations can be seen, or by clicking on my profile and viewing it through there.
Exercise 1.
Exercise name - Captains Chair Main focus - Rectus Abdominis (lower abdominals) This exercise will work through out the while stomach area but more emphasis will be placed upon the lower abs.
A really great one for that flat stomach! To perform the exercise you must take the handles and place your back flat against the support with your arms on the rests.
Then just start by contracting your stomach and curling your hips upwards so that your legs swing forward a little.
Once you can manage 3 sets of 20 repetitions move on to the next progression.
The next progression is to lift your knees up as high as you can and at the top of the movement try to curl your hips off the back rest.
Again once you can do 3 sets of 20 repetitions move on to the next progression.
The final progression here is to keep your legs straight as you lift the legs up as high as you can.
At the top of the movement again try to curl your hips off the back pad.
Build up to 3 sets of 20 repetitions.
Exercise 2.
Exercise name - Swiss ball ab crunch.
Muscles worked - Rectus abdominis.
(mainly the upper abs) This exercise works the rectus abdominis as a whole but the focus will be on the upper abs as it is the upper body the is moving rather than the movement taking place from the lower half of the body.
To perform the exercise you must find a ball that when you sit on it your thighs are parallel with the floor.
Then from a seated position walk your feet forward and lie back on the ball until your mid/lower back is on the ball.
Then extend your back round the ball and then crunch yourself back up.
This movement works best when the movement is happening through the spine and not the hips.
Your hips should stay still and your should feel your spine slowly 'curling' up and down.
Once you can complete 3 sets of 20 repetitions move on to these progressions: Placing hands on ears.
Placing hands above head.
Walking feet backward so that it is just your lower back on the ball and more weight is hanging over the ball at the head end.
Stomach Exercise 3.
Exercise name - Wood chop Muscles worked - Rectus Abdominis and Obliques.
(main focus is on obliques) This exercise will focus more on the obliques as the movement is not in the sagittal plane (forward and back) but in the transverse plane (rotation) To perform this exercise set a cable up so that it is above head height and standing side on to it take the handle with the hand that is further away from the cable.
Then place the closer hand over this other hand.
Standing tall and straight you must keep your hips as still as possible throughout the movement.
Keep your arms locked out and twist so that your arms end down by your hip on the side further away from the machine.
Find a weight that you can do 3 sets of 10 with and then build up to 3 sets of 20 with that same weight.
Once you can do this move the weight up.
Once you have performed these core exercises for a while and are performing them with great technique move on to the harder advanced stomach exercises.
Once all of the following exercises have been mastered you are ready to move on the advanced stomach exercises.
By either visiting my website where pictured illustrations can be seen, or by clicking on my profile and viewing it through there.
Exercise 1.
Exercise name - Captains Chair Main focus - Rectus Abdominis (lower abdominals) This exercise will work through out the while stomach area but more emphasis will be placed upon the lower abs.
A really great one for that flat stomach! To perform the exercise you must take the handles and place your back flat against the support with your arms on the rests.
Then just start by contracting your stomach and curling your hips upwards so that your legs swing forward a little.
Once you can manage 3 sets of 20 repetitions move on to the next progression.
The next progression is to lift your knees up as high as you can and at the top of the movement try to curl your hips off the back rest.
Again once you can do 3 sets of 20 repetitions move on to the next progression.
The final progression here is to keep your legs straight as you lift the legs up as high as you can.
At the top of the movement again try to curl your hips off the back pad.
Build up to 3 sets of 20 repetitions.
Exercise 2.
Exercise name - Swiss ball ab crunch.
Muscles worked - Rectus abdominis.
(mainly the upper abs) This exercise works the rectus abdominis as a whole but the focus will be on the upper abs as it is the upper body the is moving rather than the movement taking place from the lower half of the body.
To perform the exercise you must find a ball that when you sit on it your thighs are parallel with the floor.
Then from a seated position walk your feet forward and lie back on the ball until your mid/lower back is on the ball.
Then extend your back round the ball and then crunch yourself back up.
This movement works best when the movement is happening through the spine and not the hips.
Your hips should stay still and your should feel your spine slowly 'curling' up and down.
Once you can complete 3 sets of 20 repetitions move on to these progressions: Placing hands on ears.
Placing hands above head.
Walking feet backward so that it is just your lower back on the ball and more weight is hanging over the ball at the head end.
Stomach Exercise 3.
Exercise name - Wood chop Muscles worked - Rectus Abdominis and Obliques.
(main focus is on obliques) This exercise will focus more on the obliques as the movement is not in the sagittal plane (forward and back) but in the transverse plane (rotation) To perform this exercise set a cable up so that it is above head height and standing side on to it take the handle with the hand that is further away from the cable.
Then place the closer hand over this other hand.
Standing tall and straight you must keep your hips as still as possible throughout the movement.
Keep your arms locked out and twist so that your arms end down by your hip on the side further away from the machine.
Find a weight that you can do 3 sets of 10 with and then build up to 3 sets of 20 with that same weight.
Once you can do this move the weight up.
Once you have performed these core exercises for a while and are performing them with great technique move on to the harder advanced stomach exercises.
