The Body Sculpting Bible for Women (108 page)

The object is to simultaneously lift your legs and torso, thus crunching your mid-section.

TECHNIQUE AND FORM

Begin by isometrically contracting the abdominal muscles before moving.

At the same time, crunch forward by moving your torso toward your feet (as if trying to make your chest touch your legs), while you lift your legs and reverse crunch.

You must truly focus on the contraction of your abdominal muscles here. If you do, the contraction will be very intense; a sure sign of amazing abs soon to come!

Hold the crunched position for a count of one second.

Slowly return to the start position, but do not allow your legs to touch the ground. This is a true measure of “time under muscular tension” and is very important if you want to obtain great results from your efforts.

Without rest or momentum, slowly begin once again to lift your chest and legs to the middle meeting point.

FAQ:

I don’t feel this one very much in my lower abs
.

ANSWER:

You may be sitting too far upright. This can engage the hip flexors to a higher degree. Try leaning back a bit more and concentrate on those lower abdominals. This also applies to the knee-in.

Knee-In

This is another great variation exercise for developing the lower abdominal muscles. It is more convenient than some of the other lower abdominal exercises and just as effective. This exercise also gives you the ability to really squeeze the lower abs when the knees are brought in towards your chest. For a change of pace, why not vary your speed from one workout to the next? The next time you do this or any of the exercises we recommend, move slowly while exercising. Deliberately squeeze the abdominal muscles at the peak contraction position. Then the next time you train your abdominal muscles again, go a little quicker. This variation in the speed of your movements will yet again help to keep your body from hitting a plateau, while keeping you motivated by changing the pace of your movements.

PROPER ALIGNMENT

Sit on the floor (or on the edge of a chair or exercise bench) with your legs extended in front of you.

Your hands should be holding on to the sides of the bench or to the floor for support.

TECHNIQUE AND FORM

Keeping your knees together, pull them in towards your chest until you can go no farther.