Can't Do A Situp?

[Jbar91]

So, I've been lifting with one of my roommates for around five months (since the beginning of college) and now one of my other roommates has just started to lift with us. While it's great and I'm trying to do all I can to encourage the rest of my roommates to join us, I'm having trouble teaching this one some stuff.

Most importantly, he is unable to do a correct situp or crunch. I've had him start by doing just planks, but I'm not entirely sure how effective this'll be at building his core strength up enough to start doing some movement-based exercises. Are there any other ab exercises I should have him do that are extremely easy and beginner based?

[Kristian]

Lying floor leg raise is a good ab exercise that you can do on the ground that shouldn't be hard and if it gets really easy you can have a partner apply force on the legs to make it harder.

[1991NSX]

Originally Posted by byakugan179

Lying floor leg raise is a good ab exercise that you can do on the ground that shouldn't be hard and if it gets really easy you can have a partner apply force on the legs to make it harder.

If this is where you raise your legs up and bring them down to about 6" off the ground for a few seconds and repeat.........this is a really good core excercise that isn't easy after the 6th one or so. It seems to really work my stomach and lower back (core), you really feel it when you are starting out.

Crunches - start like normal with your back down but put your palms on your thighs (low), then "crunch up" sliding your palms up your thighs to your knees and slide back down keeping your palms on your thighs at all time. I could never do crunches right (aways have done old school sit ups)until hearing of this way. So your friend can't do actual situps? Never heard of that before.

[Kristian]

Yep thats what Im talking about it really hits your lower abs and gets you breathing and is one of the best ab exercises in my opinion, I love doing them. If they are too hard to do however you could go all the way down that makes it really easy and you can have a partner apply pressure to your legs to change the difficulty.

Heres what it looks like:
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/exe...leg-raise.html