Knees to Ceiling Press
This is an advanced lower abdominal exercise, because it simultaneously requires a high level of strength and control. Start lying on the floor on your back with your hands extended back over your head (in line with your body). Find a position where you can either hold on to something with your hands or be able to push against a wall or other solid object.
Next, lift your legs so that your knees are directly over your hips. You knees can be bent as little or as much as you want, but the closer your lower leg (shin/calf) is to being horizontal, the tougher the exercise becomes. Next, use your arms to hold on or push against something. This provides stability needed to do the exercise correctly.
The actual movement involves lifting your hips as far off the ground as you can (using your abdominal muscles) and the goal is to keep your knees pointing towards the ceiling the entire time. If you curl your back or bring your knees closer to your chest, it makes the exercise too easy and minimizes the abdominal benefit.
The other key is to keep the movement up and down as slow and controlled as possible. People often want to pop up quickly and let gravity pull their body back down, but this basically defeats the entire purpose of the exercise by shifting the effort from the abs to the back muscles or legs.
Ideally, the movement should take about 3 to 4 seconds for one up and down rep and you will probably not raise very far off the ground. If you find yourself lifting high off the ground, it means other muscles (back, hips, etc.) are working too much.
If you are not able to perform this movement without using momentum or popping off the ground, try straightening your legs all the way (pointing your feet towards the ceiling). If it’s still too difficult, you can move your knees a little closer to your chest during the exercise, but as your abdominal strength improves, you should try to keep the line between your hip and knee pointing towards the ceiling as much as possible.
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