Elevate Your Ab Work

This entry was written on May 06, 2009 by our Running Guru Heidi Splete

As every athlete of any level knows, a strong core is important to overall fitness. Here's a good ab exercise to do if you have access to one of those large fitness ball, either your own at home or at the gym.

-Lie on your back and place the ball between your legs, so your legs form a "V" pointing toward the ceiling.

-Put your hands under your glutes for extra support (palms down).

-Engage your lower abs and lift your legs towards the ceiling. Your backside will only be a few inches off the floor. Lower down, and repeat 10 times. 

I read about this move in some magazine years ago, and cut it out and stuck it near my desk, and I do it every day as part of my pre-run stretches, after I have done 30 crunches on top of the fitness ball. I think it really isolates the lower abs in a way that other exercises don't. Try it, you might like it!

Happy Running, and happy ab strengthening!