Stability Ball Ab Exercises: Advanced Crunches

Video Transcript

"With an advanced crunch on a stability ball we're going to extend our arms out beside our ears so we're creating more leverage and more momentum to control. The longer your arms and legs are, the harder it's going to be for you, so make sure you master taking the leverage out of the picture first before you go adding that in. So we're going to roll down to get the ball right into the small of the back, feet hip-width apart. Put your chin and your chest fist-width apart, and extend your arms out beside your ears. Now we're going to make sure that we try not to let our arms lead the crunch, but this midsection and your chest are going to be your primary movers. So take a big inhale before you lift and crunch, and then exhale when you flex and contract. Again we want our arms to stay where they start. If they start moving around on you then you'll know that you don't quite have the strength to advance to that yet, so just either put them right here behind your head for...just letting your head rest. They're just there for guidance and support, not really to pull with because you want to facilitate your movement, your contraction with the midsection so you're actually working core strength. So again, beside the ears, big inhale, exhale, nothing else moves but the contraction and all that focus and that work load is right there in the midsection. Inhale and extend through the fingers. Try not to let yourself fall back in arch. That's a stretch you can work in later, but right now we're maintaining quality movement and contraction right in the midsection."