I can honestly say, I have never had perfect abs. In high school I may have come close, but no matter how many sit ups or planks I did there was always (at least a little) room for improvement. This however, is subject to change, hopefully in the near future. My friend and I were at the Rec on Sunday and she suggested I try this workout her friend taught her on the Ab bench. I was skeptical, but decided to give it a try, and was happily surprised with the results. The next morning when I woke up, I could not believe how sore my abs were… maybe sometimes pain is a good thing?
Here is the run-down of the ab work out you HAVE to try:
Materials:
Medicine ball (start with eight pounds and work your way up)
Sit up bench (at the Rec or another gym)
Partner (not necessary but helpful)
Step 1: Have your partner stand directly in front of you holding the medicine ball.
Step 2: Sit on the bench, sitting up, ready to catch the medicine ball.
Step 3: Have your partner toss the medicine ball to you, as you catch the ball use the force of the ball to pull you back as you lean back into your sit up.
Step 4: Continue to hold the medicine ball as you go down into your sit up and come all the way back up, tossing the ball to your partner after the completion of a sit up.
Step 5: Repeat
The great thing about this work out is you can have your partner toss the ball straight towards you or to you can rotate tosses to either side causing you to work different sections of your abs; for example tossing the medicine ball towards a side works your obliques.
If you decide you want to have the ball tossed to your left, first catch the medicine ball on your left hand side then rotate back to the center as you lie down during your sit up and then finish the same way regardless of the direction you were tossed the medicine ball, ending straight forward.
Although I think it is more motivating to have a partner with this exercise, it is not essential. You can also use a wall to bounce the medicine ball off of (a make shift partner), or hold the medicine ball the entire time and rotate as needed.
I really hope you get some great results after trying this out- I know I did!