Sit up/crunches help

[Bob]

I recently purches some at-home equipment. The purchase included a personal trainer coming over to show how to use the equipment.

He strongly reccomended donig crunches on a regular basis, and showed me how to do a proper crunch. I put my feet up in the air, with my knees above my chest, and tense my abs.

I've noticed that my top abs are getting a better workout than my bottom abs.

Should I be doing other types of ab exercises along with the current ones?

[DeX]

Well, first off... If you're paying someone to tell you how to exercise, you should just ask them ..... But you could do reverse crunches (works your lower rectus abdominis, bicycles, planks, balboa's, crunches on a swiss ball, complete abs, V-Ups, etc...

[Mogwai]

Dex, what are balboas?? Sounds interesting....Let me know...
Thnx

[dswithers]

Hanging knee ups or hanging leg raises (hanging from a chip up bar is best or supported on your forarms on an apparatus made for that purpose) hit the lower abs very effectively as well.

[Bob]

Originally posted by DeX
Well, first off... If you're paying someone to tell you how to exercise, you should just ask them .....

First off, I'm not paying anyone to show me how to exercise, the single training session was free with my purchase of home gym equipment. I've only recently realized that the ab exercise he showed me isn't working my whole abs.

Originally posted by DeX
But you could do reverse crunches (works your lower rectus abdominis, bicycles, planks, balboa's, crunches on a swiss ball, complete abs, V-Ups, etc...

Cheers, my friend, I'll check the internet for the best way to do reverse crunches.

[jasondragon]

Bear in mind, more fat is typically stored in the lower abdomen. Also, if he recommends abdominal training everyday, did he give you a reason why?

[DeX]

Balboa's are basically doing your typical bicycles w/ your hands behind your head and your elbows out to the sides... but when your right knee is near your chest, you use your abdominal muscles to come up like a crunch and twist so that your elbow touches your knee... and you do this as one motion when you come across and you just go back and forth...

[Bob]

Originally posted by jasondragon
Bear in mind, more fat is typically stored in the lower abdomen. Also, if he recommends abdominal training everyday, did he give you a reason why?

Why exactly should I bear that in mind?

He didn't reccomend abdominal training every day. His job was to show me how to use the equipment. He reccomended I add ab exercises to my routine.

[jasondragon]

Because it is common for people to say that their upper abs are more prominently displayed than their lower abs.

It is then thought that by doing lower abdominal exercises (which really are nothing more than exercises working the hip flexors) will reduce fat in the lower abdominal region.

[DeX]

I was taught (and believe) that no matter how many abdominal exercises you do, you will not lose the fat on your stomach because it is just smushing the fat. If that was the case we could just grap our fat w/ our hands and just smash it around to get rid of it (wouldn't that be nice )... To loose fat you have to have a healthy diet with adequate amounts of cardio.

Also... when fat is stored it our bodies, it has kind of "set-paths" that it gets stored at... for most guys, it's the "beer-belly" area and for women, it's in their thighs... The first place that fat is stored is the last place that fat is burnt... That's why for the most part the upper abdominals are exposed and the lower ones are hidden... But don't worry.... It is possible to get rid of it... Just requires more work and dedication if you want it that bad...