What kinds of exercises are recommended for abdominal muscles?
A common exercise for abdominal muscles is the curl-up. However, there are many ways of performing this manouevre and some of them can be harmful and injurious, especially those which involve excessive bending and twisting. One example is the exercise where additional weights are used in order to speed up the development of the impressive so-called “six pack”. Based upon the concept of “sparing the back” endorsed by Stuart McGill we suggest the following: Curl-up Starting position (Figure 5A) • Lie on the floor with your hands placed under the lumbar area to preserve a neutral spine position; • Keeping one leg flat on the floor, flex the other knee, and raise the foot off the floor until your lower leg is parallel to the floor; • Repeat 4-7 times, then switch to the other leg; • Repeat this exercise several times, up to ten (five for each leg) repetitions if you are able to do so. Figure 5A Figure 5B • Without flattening or bending your lower back, curl up your upper body by raising yo
