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Working the abs

zibbler

Monkey
Can anyone suggest an ab routine that won't injure my back? I absolutely hate working my abs, but they really need it. The problem is I have virtually no strength in my abs to begin with (due to 3 c-sections) and I have a bad back. I need to do something though, cuz I look like I'm getting a beer gut, and I rarely ever drink beer! :mad:

Plain old crunches only seem to target the upper abs. I need something that hits the lower abs, yet doesn't affect my back.
 

Roasted

Turbo Monkey
Jul 4, 2002
1,488
0
Whistler, BC
Originally posted by Tenchiro


Ab roller baby! :monkey:
That thing brutalized my back. It puts you back at a very strained position (at least in my case)

Zibbler have you ever tried an ab ball, euro ball whatever they are called. They support the back while allowing for a full stretch of your abdominals. I find my back is fully supported and the workout kicks ass, in fact I do almost my whole workout on the ball and very rarely need a bench anymore.

Either that or suspended abs workout remove the strain as well.
 

zibbler

Monkey
Originally posted by Roasted
That thing brutalized my back. It puts you back at a very strained position (at least in my case)

Zibbler have you ever tried an ab ball, euro ball whatever they are called. They support the back while allowing for a full stretch of your abdominals. I find my back is fully supported and the workout kicks ass, in fact I do almost my whole workout on the ball and very rarely need a bench anymore.

Either that or suspended abs workout remove the strain as well.
Yeah, I've been looking into those excsercise ball thingies. Wasn't sure if it would hurt my back or not. I may just give one of those a try. Thanks.
 

I Are Baboon

The Full Dopey
Aug 6, 2001
32,384
9,290
MTB New England
Originally posted by zibbler
Not to mention your wrists, elbows, and shoulders. :dead: I've never wanted to try one of those gadgets. They looked too painful to use.
I tried one of those gizmos and the damn thing gave me lower back pain for a week.

Zibbs, you know that you can work your abs until you're blue in the face, but you will never see them unless you get your diet in check.

Hanging leg raises are kind to the back.

EDIT: I am referring to hanging leg raises performed using a bench with a back, specific to this exercise.
 

BMXman

I wish I was Canadian
Sep 8, 2001
13,827
0
Victoria, BC
Originally posted by I Are Baboon

Hanging leg raises are kind to the back.

EDIT: I am referring to hanging leg raises performed using a bench with a back, specific to this exercise.
I jsut started doing them and I really feel the burn after but it's to soon to see results...I will say that they are easy on my back though......D
 

Dog Welder

Turbo Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
1,123
0
Pasadena, CA
Originally posted by Acadian
this is not a joke....


go out and buy "ABS of Steel". I used to laugh at my girlfriend when she did them...until I tried it out for myself one day! :eek: I did that tape for like 2 years...every other night. Simply do one program (takes like 15-20min) with each workout..the tape has 3-4 program. Once your are done, rewind and start again.
Damn! That's one hellava bikini wax job!:eek:
 

zibbler

Monkey
Originally posted by Acadian
this is not a joke....


go out and buy "ABS of Steel". I used to laugh at my girlfriend when she did them...until I tried it out for myself one day! :eek: I did that tape for like 2 years...every other night. Simply do one program (takes like 15-20min) with each workout..the tape has 3-4 program. Once your are done, rewind and start again.

Hmmmm.... Amazon has great reviews for that video, but they don't stock it. Seems no one else does either. :angry: I did a variation of crunches today that seemed to work real well and didn't hurt my back. I laid on the floor with my legs resting on the recliner/rocker. When I did the crunch, I dug my heels into the rocker and pulled down as I was crunching the upper body. This hit the lower and upper abs real well. I'm sure I'll feel it tomorrow. :dead:
 

bbmj

Monkey
Feb 14, 2002
156
0
Eastbay
one thing you should do, and do about 4 times a week is pulldown abs, take a pulldown machine, attach a tricep pushdown strap, and bring it to the back of your neck, then pull the tricep strap down by swinging forward and then down, and at the bottom you should almost be in a deadlift position. also for your low back pullthoughs, take a low pulley, two handles, take the handles between your legs, and stand facing away from weight stack, let the weights pull your arms between your legs, and then contract abs, glutes and hams to return to origional position, will help back pain, also goodmornings are a good exercise. all these will work and really give you a strong back and abs, for some more ideas, go to elitefts.com, and click on the articles link, look for a article called torso trainng, some great ideas there.
charlie t