Female: When we come down to the floor for a little bit of abdominal work. Pay very close attention to how I do abdominals and how I do these crunches. If you have done any exercise in the past, then somebody taught you a crunch and you probably hurt your neck and you probably did not feel your abs but I promise if you follow my instructions you will feel your abs and you will not hurt yourself doing this. Come on to the ground and bring your knees into your chest. It is very important right now for you to feel every one of your vertebrae lying flat on floor. Get used to that flat back position. Now let your feet come down to the ground and the first thing I want you to do is squeeze your tummy in really tight then let it relax. Squeeze it in tight again. That is an isometric contraction of your abdominal muscles.
Let it out and one more time squeeze them in and let it out. I did that so you could see and feel where your abdominal muscles are. Now, take your hands and spread them wide and bring them in the back of your hand and let the full weight of your head drop into your hands. Let the full weight of your head is in your hands so you are not straining to keep your head out. My elbows are back, they are spaced between my chin and my chest. I am going to contract my abdominal muscles and lift my shoulders slightly off the floor and come down. Breathe out and move your shoulders off the floor contract those abdominals in like you were doing before and come back down. Contract your abs and come back up. Breathe out, really feel your back pressed against the floor and come down.
Keep your elbows back, breathe back, and lift your shoulders up. Press your back into the floor and come down. Let us do four more, breathe out, contract your abdominals in and slowly come down. Another one, breathe out, contract those abs, slowly down. We only have two more. Breathe out, do not strain your neck. Let the weight of your head stay in your hands, come down. Last one, breathe out and slowly come down, very good. Our second abdominal movement, bring your knees into your chest, really, really feel how flat your back and spine is. Hands around your sides and keep your back really flat and very slowly lower your toes down to the ground.
The second you feel your lower back coming up and bring your knees back up again. Do this very slowly on a slow count of four, lower three, two, and one—do not let your back come up and come back up again slowly. For some of you when you get to hear your back will be up that is the end point of the exercise for you. You will come back up to here so slowly lower, breathe out, and bring them up. If you feel any strain in your back then stop, but if you are just feeling burning then hang in there. Let us do four more and bring them up, breathe out, three, and bring them up going very slowly flat, flat back, two, and the last one make it count. Breathe out and slowly back in. Very good, you have done your abdominal work.
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