Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - crunches on an exercise ball...

all I can say is ouch!

They are teh sux0r. I throw 3 sets per week in on my trip home from work by stopping at the apartment gym before heading home.
Do you use a smaller ball and get a big extension to your back, or use a larger one and concentrate on balance & your obliques?

just started today...

big ball 77cm... get a good extension back and whew... hurt way more than bicycle crunches on the floor!

After about 2 weeks for at least one session put a 25 lb disk weight on your chest. Always use the largest ball you can handle. Remember to breathe, don't hold a breath ever. The crunch motion is that, a crunch not a sit up. Don't allow momentum to assist. Use a mirror to make sure you are doing it right. It will make a huge difference and you will get results faster when they are done correctly.

Try doing them on a Bosu

A Bosu works but the exercise ball helps develop the core and balance if you keep your feet together while reclined and thru the motion. I think the Bosu requires more discipline. But thats me.

I love using a Bosu for lots of different exercises but a ball is cheaper if you are doing this at home.

WTH is a Bosu?

hey you are talking to someone who has no core strength ... I'll keep working the ball for now...

hopefully I get moved back to Denver and can get into some yoga with the wife...

Bosu and a caterpillar roll please!

WTH is a Bosu?
A BOSU is basically the top part of a ball with a base attached. This allows you to stand on top of it and do balance exercises among other things. I did a lot of ball and BOSU core training this year with great result. Keep with it and it will pay off for you. :thumb:


Here is a picture of a BOSU

oh my therapist had some of those...

after my knee surgery last summer... I did some stabilization stuff on the little ones...

they kinda suck

get a good extension back

That's not a crunch, and isn't the best way to go about it. Stick to crunches on the ball.
There are better ways to work those other muscles.

That's not a crunch, and isn't the best way to go about it. Stick to crunches on the ball.
There are better ways to work those other muscles.

maybe i wasn't clear all I was saying that I was making sure I did the full range from 45 degrees to flat...

oh I plan on staying on the ball... it is pretty vicious I did them 2 days ago and they are still sore... going to hit em again today...

just make sure whatever ab exercise you do, you are curling your spine. only this action will truly activate your abs. for example, a hanging leg raise works your hip flexors, not your abs. the feeling is mistaken for ab work because the hip flexors run from the top of your thighs, under your abs and connect up onto the spinal column. thus you feel like you worked your lower abs when you really didnt. the solution, reverse crunches: lay on your back with feet up, set up like youre about to do a regular crunch, but you roll your legs toward your abs, making sure not to bend at the hips or knees, but to curl your legs toward your abs.

the only ab exercises i do:

decline bench sit ups (with twist for oblique work as well - make sure you start twisting from the bottom of the movement, not at the top)
ball crunches
reverse crunches
bridges and planks for core stabilization work

and i dont do them all in the same day. works my abs fine...but i also do heavy squats and deadlifts, which apparently work your abs a great deal.

booyakasha

Funny, I like exercice ball crunches better. The hard floor/mat plays havoc with my old bones and back and neck. The ball is kinder in that respect.

I worry about falling off the exercise ball so I avoid it at the gym. I picture lying on it and the ball shooting out from under me. Then I imagine me on the floor and the ball hitting that little old lady who sits on the rowing machine.

How possible is my scenario? I'd like to use one for core strengthening but could do without the imagined embarrasment.

Try doing squats on a busa or sit ups, feet on exersise ball hands on base of busa ball. Both off these will make you sweat buckets, I too prefer crunches on the ball.

http://www.speedtheory.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/ab_roller_exercise_wheel.jpg

feel the burn

http://www.speedtheory.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/ab_roller_exercise_wheel.jpg

feel the burn

feel the physical therapist...

If you want a tough ab exercise... do incline crunches holding weight. But I will warn you, you WILL get a gut cramp and you WILL be hanging upside down like a bat (feels that way when you're cramping).

I worry about falling off the exercise ball so I avoid it at the gym. I picture lying on it and the ball shooting out from under me. Then I imagine me on the floor and the ball hitting that little old lady who sits on the rowing machine.

How possible is my scenario? I'd like to use one for core strengthening but could do without the imagined embarrasment.

I fell off the ball once, it's not a big deal.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583332944

I fell off the ball once, it's not a big deal.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583332944

Woot! I reserved the book at the library. Thanks, late.

don't you guys think clydes have bigger obstacles to conquer before worrying about crunches on an exercise ball? basically ANY ab exercise will be a step up from your current situation, don't you think? I mean this in the best way possible - go walking and you'll exercise your abs and back and legs, etc. maybe I'm out of line here? I mean crunches on an exercise ball is kinds what you do when you're down to a pretty low body fat percentage right?

don't you guys think clydes have bigger obstacles to conquer before worrying about crunches on an exercise ball? basically ANY ab exercise will be a step up from your current situation, don't you think? I mean this in the best way possible - go walking and you'll exercise your abs and back and legs, etc. maybe I'm out of line here? I mean crunches on an exercise ball is kinds what you do when you're down to a pretty low body fat percentage right?

wow let me count the ways this post is ignorant and offensive

I started doing ball crunches because they were voted #2 most effective ab exercises by a major college...

my current situation... before my Dr. shut me down due to a shoulder injury I was at 20 miles per day and up to 30 miles on some rides... plus running 4-5 miles... and riding my mt. bike for fun... plus using my bikes as my only means of transportation (so I was riding 30-40 miles per day)

just because I posted this in the clyde/athena section are you assuming that I am as wide as I am tall? FYI I stand 6'6" and 260# I am by no means a "big fat guy" just so happens even if I were at single digit body fat I will still be a clyde

according to the jist of your post I shouldn't do any type of exercise because I have too high of body fat %... no weight training no crunches no nothing because I am not skinny enough to see the results?

I was under the informed opinion from this cycling thread that core strength is a key component to fitting/correct riding posture I was trying to aid mine by strengthening mine... what I don't have a low enough body fat percentage to ride, as per your post I should walk since I am probably too fat to be on a bike

please tell me what kind of exercises i should be doing since you seem to know exactly what kind of shape i am in...

rumrunn6, you should be banned for making offensive statements... because your post offended me

if everyone who offended another member was banned there'd be no one here. I tried to explain my point of view in that some exercises are extreme and should be for extreme athletes and other more mild excercise would be more appropriate for beginners. so you're not a beginner - OK that's easy enough to explain.

those words you wrote were not my words. I didn't say those insulting things. I'm over 200 myself and am quite fit but you won't find me doing crunches on a ball. it's completely unnecessary since I have a ton of weight to lose.

I'm sorry to have offended you. I didn't mean to.

Are crunches on a ball easier than say crunches on the floor? I currently can't even do one sit-up and I haven't bothered with crunches, but I feel like I should be doing something. Currently I can't even sit up in bed to get up in the morning. I reach a point and there is just too much lower-back pain to do it. I need to roll over on my side, fold over, and stick my legs out to get the momentum to get right-side up on the edge of the bed. Yep, it's that sad. Back pain sucks.

It is more difficult because you have less to stabilize you. That's the point of doing anything with a ball - it is unstable and makes everything more difficult. At a certain point in training we all hope to reach a place where we want the most difficulty and then the most gain.

I too have lower back pain and as much as I train I still have trouble brushing my teeth in the morning, meaning anything involving a "hunch".

Good luck with your fitness plans. Don't give up, keep researching.

I suspect a less aggressive ab exercise on a flat floor would be more beneficial for you. I like one that I forget the name of. It involves a low leg raise combined with ones arms over your head. It's hard to explain. It's a gymnastics floor exercise. I would suggest you see a professional physical therapist and a physician for expert guidance for your personal condition. Doing something too aggressive could be counterproductive, no matter how eager you are to jump ahead.

Are crunches on a ball easier than say crunches on the floor? I currently can't even do one sit-up and I haven't bothered with crunches, but I feel like I should be doing something. Currently I can't even sit up in bed to get up in the morning. I reach a point and there is just too much lower-back pain to do it. I need to roll over on my side, fold over, and stick my legs out to get the momentum to get right-side up on the edge of the bed. Yep, it's that sad. Back pain sucks.

I've been there, I have a compressed disc in my lower back and have had nasty back episodes in the past that have left me barely able to walk. You have my sincere sympathy. I would definitely recommend a sports medicine doctor or orthopedist for a diagnosis. That and PT did me a world of good. 'bent riding and ab/back strengthening exercises have mostly eliminated back pain for me.

If you want a tough ab exercise... do incline crunches holding weight. But I will warn you, you WILL get a gut cramp and you WILL be hanging upside down like a bat (feels that way when you're cramping).

I like to thread a sturdy towel through the handle of a 36 lb kettlebell (although a barbell weight could be used, with caution) and then swing it around my head. Really. You think incline crunches are tough, LOL, you ain't seen nothing yet. This is an exercise best done outdoors and away from other people.

Throwing weights for height is also a great ab workout. Same precautions apply. One-arm deadlifts are also lots of fun.

I'm over 200 myself and am quite fit but you won't find me doing crunches on a ball. it's completely unnecessary since I have a ton of weight to lose.

ab and lower back strength affect every aspect of athletics and really, movement in general. if youre speaking from a purely aesthetic angle, then you have a point. you wont see your abs until you get to a certain bodyfat percentage. however, ab strength is prob the most important aspect of training as it activates on every worthwhile exercise. worthwhile meaning any multi-joint exercise or even, non-isolation type exercises.

saying ab work is completely unnecessary is a tragically uninformed statement.

I agree, and I didn't say ab exercises were unnecessary

I've used a BOSU inverted for pushups and found it very difficult. I'm sure it's great but I'm not ready for that level of difficulty. I'm happy doing my foot elevated pushups and head elevated bench presses.