Featured Move – 4th abdominal challenge – Traditional Oblique and Oblique Alternators

Today’s featured move, the fourth in the abdominal series, is another oblique challenger with two versions: Traditional Oblique and Oblique Alternators. These are great alternatives to the oblique twist sit-up OR additional options to include in a full abdominal series.

Lie flat on your back, feet on the floor, with your knees bent. Cross the left ankle over the right knee, stretching the left arm out away from your chest. Place your right hand behind your head. Holding in the lower abdominals, lift your head up and across to your right knee. Aim your right shoulder, not your elbow, toward the left knee. The elbow should stay back.

Then switch sides to put the right ankle over the left knee and bring the left shoulder up and across to meet the right knee.

An alternate version is to put both legs up in the air, bent at the knee in a table top position. Place both hands behind your head and continuously alternate: right shoulder to the left knee then the left shoulder to the right knee, back and forth.

Next week, we’ll finish up the abdominal series with a fifth exercise, a review, and move on to low back exercises. Let us hear from you if you have any comments.