Kneeling Cable Crunch - Inward Facing
Take position adjacent to a cable machine with the rope attachment in place. Pin a suitable weight and grab the handles so that your palms face inward. Drop to your knees and facing the machine, lock the rope handles against your ears. Your core is tight and you are taking the weight with a forward bend at the waist. This is the starting position.
Commence the movement by contracting your abdominals and breathing out as you crunch down from the waist.
At the maximum contraction point, squeeze the abs hard before slowly reversing the torso back to the starting position, inhaling as you do. Do not let the weight stack come to rest at the starting position until the set is complete.
Knee Raises
Take position on the parallel bars of a dip machine. Your back is against the pad and your body hangs down freely. This is the starting position.
Commence the movement by contracting your abdominals and breathing out as you lift your legs from their straightened position up toward the torso. You may either bend the legs at the knee or keep the legs relatively straight as you pull them up to a point where they are parallel to the floor.
At the top of the movement, squeeze the abs hard before slowly lowering the legs back to the starting position, inhaling as you do.
Bench Side Bends
Setup in the hyperextension machine but in a "side down" position instead of the face down position of a back hyperextension. Your feet are firmly planted and your ankle and lower leg sit under the ankle rolls. Put your hands either at your ears, behind your head or across your body. The body is bend downward from the waist. This is the starting position.
Commence the movement by bending the body up from the waist until you have gone as far as you can toward the opposing side.
Squeeze at the maximum contraction point before reversing the body to the starting position.
Alternate sides upon completion of the set.
Dumbbell Side Bend
Take position with a suitable weight dumbbell in one hand. Your feet are firmly planted at shoulder width, your head is up and your core is tight. The arm holding the dumbbell hangs down on your side, palm facing inward. On the opposing side, put your hand either behind your head or across your body. This is the starting position.
Commence the movement by bending the body from the waist whilst keeping the lower body stationary. Your working movement is toward the side not holding the dumbbell. Bend as far as you can to that side and hold for a second at the maximum range point.
When you have gone as far as you can, reverse the movement back past the starting position to the other side but without going to the end of your range.
Alternate the side holding the dumbbell upon completion of the set.
Hanging Ab Windmills
Take position hanging from the pull-up bar with a medium or narrow, underhand or neutral grip, whatever feels more comfortable. Let your body hang down freely. This is the starting position.
Commence the movement by contracting your abdominals and taking the outstretched legs through a clockwise rotation from the starting position right back around to the same position. Your legs are outstretched with a slight knee bend and the rotation comes from the hip.
When back at the starting position after a clockwise rotation, reverse the movement and perform the same manoeuvre in an anti-clockwise direction.
Hanging Leg Raises
Take position hanging from the pull-up bar with a medium or wide grip, whatever feels more comfortable. Let your body hang down freely. This is the starting position.
Commence the movement by contracting your abdominals and breathing out as you lift your legs from their straightened position up toward the ceiling. You may either bend the legs at the knee or keep the legs relatively straight as you pull them up to a point where they pass parallel to the floor. The higher you take them, the better the contraction.
At the top of the movement, squeeze the abs hard before slowly lowering the legs back to the starting position, inhaling as you do.
Oblique Raises
Take position on the parallel bars of a dip machine. Your back is against the pad and your body hangs down freely. This is the starting position.
Commence the movement by contracting your abdominals and breathing out as you lift your legs up and to one side from their straightened position. Your legs are bent at the knee as you draw them up as high as they will go on that one side.
At the top of the movement, squeeze the abs hard before slowly lowering the legs back to the starting position, inhaling as you do.
Alternate sides with each repetition.
Elbow Plank
Take position on the ground as if you were setting up for a push-up only your weight is held up on your elbows instead of the outstretched hands in the push-up. The upper arms should be perpendicular to the floor lifting the torso up; your forearms resting flat on the ground. You should be up on your toes and with your body flat, not arched either way. This is the starting position.
Hold this position for the prescribed duration, keeping your core tight and remembering to breathe normally.
