Supine position
Primary muscles: abdominals, deep cervical neck flexors
Lie on your back with your legs bent and your calves resting on the ball.
• Bring your hands behind your neck.
• Engage your abdominal muscles.
• Keep your mouth closed (to help stabilize your neck); breathe through your nose.
• Exhale as you slowly curl your upper body, lifting your head, neck, and shoulders off the floor.
• Inhale as you slowly, in a controlled motion, uncurl down to the floor.
• Make sure your abdominal area is doing all the work. Don’t pull on your head or neck.
• Continue for 1 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions each.
• Strengthens the abdominals
• Strengthens the neck muscles
• Engages the core stabilizer muscles
Too much?
• Rest ankles on ball, instead of calves. Cross arms over your chest.
Want more?
• Pull ball in toward your buttocks when you raise your body off the floor.