Proper form is important in any exercise

I have been doing leg raises and the captain's chair for almost a year now, but it hasn't really made any noticeable difference in my lower abs. Do you have any exercises that I could try that would really punish my lower abdominals?

This is an exercise that I came up with my junior year in high school. I used to train abs obsessively, so I was continually looking for new and better ways to bring out abdominal development. Needless to say, this exercise will leave your lower abs burning in pain.

The exercise is done on a decline bench. The steeper the decline, the more difficult the exercise will be. I suggest you begin on the slightest decline until you master the form (proper form is paramount in the effectiveness of this exercise). In order to keep yourself on the bench, grab a rope (the kind used to do press-downs) and throw it over the foot rest at the top of the bench. You should now have your arms over your head, holding on to rope. Your feet should be pointed towards the floor, and your lower back should be flat against the bench.

Slowly, keeping your back flat against the mat and your legs straight, bring your legs up towards the ceiling until they are perpendicular to the floor. At this point in the movement, your butt should raise up slightly off the bench. The first rep is number zero. Lower your legs slowly to starting position, pause at the bottom, and raise them up to the ceiling again. This time, pause at the top and press your feet up towards the ceiling for one rep.

Keep your hips stationary during this movement _ rocking them will reduce the effectiveness of the exercise. This is rep number 1. Lower your legs slowly, and repeat, this time pushing your feet towards the ceiling for two reps. Lower your legs, and repeat, this time pushing up for three reps, and so on.

The rep scheme of this exercise is what makes it so intense. You perform a joint movement, immediately followed by an isolation movement. This increases the intensity of the exercise. Try this for a few weeks, and I would be surprised if you didn't see a significant difference in your lower ab development.



I have a question. If you're doing bicep curls with smallish dumbbells, does it matter if you come down straight with your palms facing out or if you turn your palms inward with the dumbbell running front to back?

The different hand positions during a dumbbell curl serve to place the emphasis of the exercise on different parts of the biceps. When you are curling with hands prone (palms facing floor), you are putting more emphasis on the area of the bicep near the top of your forearm. Holding the weight with palms facing your body (hammer curls, for example) works the brachialis, a small muscle on the side of the biceps.

Palms facing up hits the upper biceps. It is important to remember that each of these variations only slightly changes the emphasis of the exercise on a specific part of the muscle. This does not mean that doing the exercise in one way will neglect to work other parts of the muscle. Doing biceps curls will work the biceps. Changing hand position will only shift muscular emphasis.



My friend told me that doing squats is dangerous. Should I stop doing them and do leg presses instead? I don't want to sacrifice leg development, but I am worried about injuring myself and not being able to lift at all.

Squats, like any exercise using free weights, can be dangerous. However, if you maintain proper form and workout with a partner to spot you, they are no more dangerous than any other heavy compound exercise. Some risks include knee injuries from bouncing the weight or lower back injuries from improper form.

However, the benefits of this exercise are such that, if you are confident that your form is good, it should never be forsaken in a leg workout. Squats not only help your legs develop, they can help add mass to your entire body due to the nature of the exercise. Leg presses do not. In short, any exercise can potentially be dangerous, but follow form and use a spotter and you will minimize the chance of injury.