AWKWARD ZOMBIE

yeah you can hurt yourself from doing them wrong but proper ones aren't bad.

i wish i could do situps/crunches (yay multiple back deformities preventing me from doing any kind of repetitive curling motion!) because without gym equipment i'm kinda shit outta luck on ab exercises :[

I think those exercises where you lie flat on your back and keep your legs off the ground work your abs too.

They do, I see people do those at my gym all the time

It's still the same basic motion as a sit-up, only done a bit differently. They're really good. I tend to spend quite some time on my core muscles as they're good to prevent getting injured.

my back problems stem from the top/mid of my back so lower back is USUALLY ok so i'll try the leg exercises and see if they hurt me or not.

I use part of a DVD for my ab stuff. You might be interested, it doesn't use situps or crunches in the slightest, but still gets a nice burn going.

DVD is Mitch Gaylord's Gold Medal Fitness. Or I could explain how the various exercises work via IMs if you don't want to buy a DVD.

This has been interesting to read, as I feel like abs are the hardest muscles to work out (at least for me). Lots of things for arms and legs but very few options for abs.



Do you mean like lying down, and doing a "curl up" by pulling your legs in (rather than lifting your torso up)?

I'm terribly bad at curl/situps (I tend to clench my neck and shoulder muscles, and it gets painful). If I understand the motion right, I'd like to try this instead.

The exercise I'm talking about if where you lay flat down on your back, keep your legs straight and raise them above you and lower them back down without touching the ground.

So like, starting at 180 degrees (lying flat), and then raise the legs up to 90 degrees?

That sounds way better than straining my neck.

You can do a couple of variations on that, you can hold them up as low from the ground as you can without touching it for a period of time, you can move them from side to side or you can rotate them. Keep them straight and together. I think you have to try to keep your back straight and not curve too.

I see. Well I'm definitely going to mess around with this and hopefully get somewhere.

Also planks

it's funny that i keep hearing people say planks are good ab exercises and i have never ever felt a burn anywhere but my arms and back after doing them

shame i can't go planches those would really get the job done :P

Planches would destroy your arm and chest muscles before you got something out of your abs I think, I've tried them but I don't have nearly the strength/weight ratio to pull them off.

Pec day just happened, so I'm feeling pretty good. That and leg day are always the best, though they do make me RAVENOUSLY HUNGRY.