Abs Exercise: Alternating Hanging Leg Raises

Series Summary

Alignment exercises for the spine and consistent ab workouts can quickly improve overall well-being by strengthening the core torso muscles. In many varieties of exercise and athletics, the “core” muscles (the muscles of the abdomen, pelvis and mid- to lower-back) are considered especially important, keeping the spine aligned and acting as the anchor points for most of the body’s movement. Targeting involuntary muscles of the core, those small muscles used for laughing, crying and coughing, can strengthen the body in ways often overlooked by traditional fitness routines. In this free video series on getting six-pack abs, fitness instructor Ben Jurand offers abs exercises to rip anyone's midsection. Jurand starts in the gym's hanging stirrups and shows exercisers a great ab workout with leg raises. He moves to a Roman Chair and shows how simple compressions and extensions can build ripped abs. Jurand moves his ab workout to an extension bench and covers a series of exercises that work the abs and lower back. He finishes on the stability ball with a high-powered abs exercise for getting that six pack.

Video Transcript

"Hi, we're upstairs now at the YMCA, the best kept secret in town. Today, we're going to work on the stirrups. We're going to work on these core stabilizers. What I need you to do, we're going to slide our arms underneath here. Now, word of caution, I don't believe in swinging, no momentum. For the sake of arguments, we're going to neutralize those shoulders, bring those legs in front. No swinging position. We're going to lift our right knee up to 45 degrees, and a one. Halfway down, two. Right leg up, three. Notice, I'm not swinging the trunk. Up, four. Up, five. Up, six. Good. Lets work to the left. One, slight bend in that knee. Two, isolating. Three, isolating. Four, sucking in. Five. Six. Seven. Two more. Eight. Hold it up there. Release slowly for nine. And release."