V-ups

Directions:

Preperation/body position

1. Place mat on floor.
2. Lay on mat (face up), with arms stretched flat overhead.
3. Legs should be outstretched, with a slight fixed bend in the knees.

Excution/Movement

1. Raise legs and arms simultaneously. Bring head and shoulders up off the ground, and raise legs so that hips raise off the floor.
2. Bring arms towards raised feet.
3. Repeat for desired amount of repetitions.

Comments

The v-up is an exercise that involves the simultaneous flexion of the hip and spine. The flexion of the hip will recruit the hip flexor muscles, such as the pectineus, whilst the rectus abdominis will be stimulated from the flexion of the spine from raising the shoulders off the floor.

It is often said that this exercise is very effective as it works both the upper and lower portions of the abdominals in one movement. The rectus abdominis contracts from origin to insertion to flex the spine, therefore targeting specific areas of the rectus abdominis is not possible. We are simply involving the hip flexor muscles when flexing the hip, to involve the rectus abdominis dynamically we need to flex the waist.

If our goal is to create a trimmer ‘toned’ midsection then diet and cardiovascular activities need to be address to loose body fat. Resistance training will not spot reduce fat off specific areas.