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Through entire exercise, your lower back should remain firmly on floor. Most gyms also have several exercise machines that mimic motion of forward crunch and focus on those upper rectus abdominus muscles.
Leg Raises are a great exercise for lower rectus abdominus. Leg raises can be done in a variety of positions including sitting, hanging or lying on your back. Most gyms have a leg raise chair or machine. If they don't, lay on your back on lying hamstring machine, tuck your feet under leg pads and bring your knees up to your chest. This exercise can also be done on floor or on a sit-up board without using weight.
Another great exercise for lower section of RA is seated leg tucks. This is a sitting variation of leg raise. Sit at end of a weight bench with your knees bent and legs hanging over end. Bring your knees up toward your chest.
The obliques are muscles that help you bend from side to side and rotate torso. When people speak about love handles, they are usually speaking about fat deposits in oblique area. A great way to train your obliques is using side crunches on a hyperextension bench. Tuck your feet and lower legs under leg pad so that your left hip is down and level with top of hyperextension bench. Clasp your hands behind your head and bend at waist as far as you can towards floor. Next raise your upper body upwards as high as you can (pivoting at waist) and contract muscles in your waist concentrating on contracting obliques on right. Don't forget to switch positions and train muscles on left side.
You can train your serratus and intercostal muscles using a modified version of side crunch. Instead of pivoting at waist, use a shorter seesaw motion and pivot higher at level just below your armpit. This motion places a higher concentration on intercostal and serratus muscles, rather than obliques.
You can also train your obliques, intercostals, and serratus using seated twists with a broomstick behind your neck. These can be done on a hyperextension bench or sit-up board. Tuck your feet under lower leg pad, lean back at approximately a 45 degree angle and twist at waist from side to side in a rotary fashion.
Hyperextensions are a great exercise to develop muscles in your lower back. They are much safer than Good Mornings using free weight. The lower back is one of most ignored muscle groups when it comes to waist training, but results hyperextensions produce are well worth extra effort. They really help narrow your waist and finish product.
To have a great waist your diet is also a big piece to puzzle. You can have rock hard, well developed abs, but if their hidden underneath a layer of fat, they can't be seen. No matter how hard you train, your abs will never be visible and impressive unless you get your body fat percentage low enough. A low fat, calorie restricted diet will help finish package and bring everything together.
Another great abdominal tool is AbRoller. This neat piece of equipment makes sure you are using proper form, takes stress of your lower back and can be purchased at any sporting goods store for less than $100.00. Most gyms and health clubs have several of them. The AbRoller comes with a videotape which shows you exactly how to use it for forward crunches, leg lifts, and side crunches. I personally use it and highly recommend it especially if you are a novice or suffer with lower back pain.
Last but not least, there are many good ab specific exercise video tapes like "8 Minute Abs" and "Abs Of Steel." These programs can all be done in comfort of your own home - all you need is a VCR. Many aerobic exercise tapes also have an ab program at end of tape.
The following is a sample intermediate/advanced program for training your waist:
Forward Crunches - 4 sets to muscle failure Leg Raises - 4 sets to muscle failure Side Crunches - 4 sets to muscle failure Seated Twists - 4 sets to muscle failure Hyperextensions - 4 sets to muscle failure
Dr. Osgoodby was a finalist in the "EAS Body for Life" Contest. Stop by his web page at bestbodyever.com to see his before and after pictures and subscribe to his monthly newsletter.