workoutpact:

Hi guys,

just as a quick fit tip of the day>

Whenever you want to do some crunches, lower abs-exercises which include lifting the legs, please make sure that you fully control your core AT ALL TIMES to avoid massive lower back injuries and pain.

What does this mean?

Whenever you lay down on the back, you have this natural arch in your lower back:

Looks great for any sexy photo shot but is completely useless for core exercises. On this pic my core is completely relaxed.

To not get any lower back pain, tight lower back/hip flexor muscles, lower back injuries, we need to make sure that we do not let this arch happen while we are doing our core exercises.

How do we do that and how does this look?

What you now see is me involving my core for abs exercises. The easiest way to control it/to remember it is to make sure you press your lower back into the mat/floor/ground (whatever surface you have).

It looks very simple but believe me there are a lot of people out there who cannot do this and get massive lower back pain when they do their core exercises. What I do on this pic is the slightly more advanced version…as I have my legs fully stretched, long and relaxed on the floor while pressing my lower back into the floor.

To practice this movement you can start to train it with flexed legs or in your bed.

So you press you lower back into the mat and breathe out at the same time. Really imagine like you try to squeeze your abs like a lemon…breathe out and press you lower back into the mat while breathing out.

After a while you can control it better and better to a point where you can hold your fully extended legs a millimetre from the floor without losing control over your core.

Once you feel confident enough with your core control…keep on making your exercises, get a great six pack and have fun,

Anne

(And a little note for any pro-ana or thinspo: No, those funny things on my sides are NOT my ribs. Those are my external obliques which I achieved with regular eating and exercising. So please do not take me as your rib/bone/starving-inspiration! Thanks!)

I need to work on doing this! Maybe this is why my hip flexors sometimess get tired before my abs do.