Want to skip the sit-ups? Here's an alternative that I find much kinder to my lower back, and it doesn't involve heavy weights or standing.
This move might look simple, but it's about building stability and control and holding your muscles under tension. Derived from Pilates, it requires a Pilates ball and your mat, and not a lot else.
Rather than the repetitive up-down motion of sit-ups, which can hurt some people's backs, you'll support your back on a ball roughly at your shoulder blades. I recommend one of the best yoga mats for your butt and feet. This exercise is about to challenge those deeper stabilizers and fire up the abs — you've been warned.
What is the exercise?
Learning how to engage your core doesn't mean an exercise will feel good for you. While I wouldn't automatically take sit-ups off the table, I would consider if there's an exercise better suited and more effective.
Pilates is a low-impact form of exercise known for its core-strengthening and posture-building benefits. It's incredible what an hour of Pilates can do for your body when performed consistently.
What I love about this crunch variation performed on a Pilates ball is that you can also stretch out your spine and chest if you choose to by lowering your head and upper back all the way to the floor behind you with every rep.
As demonstrated above, focus on a strong exhale as you reach forward and upward with your chest and keep your hands lightly supported by your head with elbows pulled back and chest open.
Notice in the video above, Savanna's back stays straight as she lifts with her core, then presses lightly back down into the ball. Her knees stay bent and feet pressed into the floor. You could consider slowing this down to control the movement even more and focus on crunching your abdominals as you lift.
Think about curling yourself up and peeling your back away from the ball, which will be situated at your shoulder blades, then slowly unfurling down into the ball. As mentioned, I've been taught this exercise with a fuller range of motion, which involves lowering your upper back and head fully to the floor behind you for a deep stretch and increased intensity; this is totally optional, but if you do it, imagine uncurling your spine slowly into the ball as you open your chest.
- Start seated with a Pilates ball behind you, knees bent, and feet planted on the mat in front of you
- Lower your back onto the ball and rest along the shoulder blades
- Place your hands behind your head and gaze forward
- Engage your core, then as you exhale, lift your chest and upper back away and drive up, thinking about pulling your ribcage down
- Pause, then lower your back onto the ball again with light pressure and without arching your lower back. Keep it controlled
- Repeat for 10-15 reps and several rounds, and the option to lower fully to the ground each rep is there to release the spine.
If you watch the demonstration carefully, you'll notice not much is happening. There isn't a huge amount of movement, and nowhere near as much work on the back as regular sit-ups. This is about stability, control, and contraction in the abs and deep abdominal muscles. A little bit of trembling is pretty much mandatory, but if you experience pain, stop immediately and don't push your body further than it wants to go.
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