Hip Crunches with
the Exercise Ball

Starting Position
  • Lie on your back on a mat with knees bent and your arms stretched out to your sides.
  • Squeeze the exercise ball between your legs as illustrated below.
  • Engage your abdominal muscles through the technique of abdominal hollowing before you even think of moving your legs. This will help ensure you maintain lumbar stability.
Action
  • Use your hips to lift your legs toward your chest
Prime Movers
  • Hip flexors
Physio Tips
  • Always et your abdominals before lifting the ball.
  • This ball exercise is easier with a smaller ball.
Progression Try this exercise to challenge your abdominals and other lumbar stabilizers under the load of the hip flexors.

A way to ensure you maintain a nice neutral lumbar position during this exercise is by putting your hand under your lower back. While in the starting position you should have about 2 cm under your lower back. Slide one or both hands in this space. As you raise the ball your lower back should not move significantly. If you find that your lower back arches away from your hand or if it pushes down on your hands you are not maintaining your neutral lumbar position. Go back and practice your abdominal hollowing exercise and some leg raises on the floor without the ball.

1ballsRepeat this ball exercise 6 times.

2ballsRepeat this ball exercise 10 times.

3ballsRepeat this ball exercise 15 times.

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