HANDS TO KNEES

 

The Hands to Knees is an ideal exercise for beginners, but will also be effective for more advanced exercisers. As with all abdominal exercises, you should be sure to use correct abdominal technique.

The starting position for Hands to Knees is on your back, legs bent, hands resting lightly on your thighs. Using only the abdominal muscles, curl slowly upwards – first the shoulders, then the upper back – sliding your hands up your leg towards your knees.

When your hands reach your knees, pause, then slowly lower back down. It is particularly important to control the movement on the way back down.

Pause at the bottom, to ensure that you don’t develop any momentum, then repeat.

As with all abs exercises, remember that the slower you work, the more you’ll get out of it.

Your chin should be on your chest throughout the movement – if your neck aches, you can gently support your head with one hand.

Smaller, more controlled movements will yield the best results, really feeling your abs contract the whole time.

Beginners should aim for two sets of 8 – 12 reps; Intermediates two sets of 15 – 20 reps; Advanced should do three sets of 20+ reps. Rest for 20 seconds between sets.

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