Want to skip the sit-ups? Here’s an alternative that I find much kinder to my lower back, and it doesn’t involve heavy weights or standing.
This move might look simple but it focuses on building stability & control while keeping your muscles under tension. The exercise comes from Pilates and requires a Pilates ball and your mat with not much else needed.
Rather than the repetitive up-down motion of sit-ups, which can hurt some people’s backs, you’ll support your back on a ball roughly at your shoulder blades. I recommend one of the best yoga mats for your butt and feet. This exercise is about to challenge those deeper stabilizers and fire up the abs — you’ve been warned.
What is the exercise?
Learning how to engage your core doesn’t mean an exercise will feel good for you. While I wouldn’t automatically take sit-ups off the table, I would consider if there’s an exercise better suited and more effective.
Pilates is a gentle workout method that focuses on building core strength & improving posture. When you practice it regularly an hour of Pilates can create amazing changes in your body. This particular crunch exercise using a Pilates ball offers something extra that I really appreciate. Between repetitions you have the option to stretch your spine and chest by lowering your head and upper back completely down to the floor behind you. This added movement gives you both the strengthening benefits of the crunch and the flexibility benefits of a good stretch in one exercise.
As demonstrated above, focus on a strong exhale as you reach forward and upward with your chest and keep your hands lightly supported by your head with elbows pulled back and chest open.
