INTERMEDIATE
Exercising the oblique muscles helps to define the waist. The Crisscross exercise targets these muscles, giving you abdominals that are more toned and a back that has more rotational flexibility.
Bring your hands behind your head, lifting your legs in tabletop position off the floor.
Roll up with your torso and inhale, reaching one elbow to the opposite knee and extending the opposite leg long in front of you. Imagine pulling your shoulder blades off the mat and twisting from your ribs and oblique muscles.
Alternate sides. Repeat sequence six times.
ANNOTATION KEY
Bold text indicates active muscles
Gray text indicates stabilizing muscles
* indicates deep muscles
DO IT RIGHT
LOOK FOR
• Drawing your stomach in as flat as possible. If you are pushing out with your stomach, you are using your back instead of your abdominal muscles.
• Keeping your elbows wide, not allowing them to fold in as you turn.
• Your twist to come from your torso.
AVOID
• Neck strain by using your hands to hold your head.
• Rocking from side to side.
BEST FOR
• rectus femoris
• vastus medialis
• sartorius
• tensor fasciae latae
• deltoideus
• rectus abdominis
• obliquus externus
• obliquus internus
• transversus abdominis