Swissball kneetucks

Swissball knee tucks are quite a difficult exercise – make sure you do them under qualified supervision until you are confident you are doing them correctly.

Assume the pushup position with your shins on a Swiss ball and your hands on the floor, shoulder-width apart and beneath your shoulders. To make it more challenging, push the ball back further, so that only your feet are on it. 

Keeping your head down and your abs drawn in and tight, slowly pull your knees toward your chest, rolling the ball forward. Your hips should push slightly up into the air. Make sure to keep your stomach pulled in tight to maintain the stress on your abdominals. Pause, then straighten your legs to roll the ball back out behind you. Avoid letting your hips and back sag on the way out - again, keep your abs tight! Remember to breathe in while you’re straightening your legs, and out while you’re crunching your knees into your chest.

This is a great exercise because it not only works the rectus abdominis (the six pack you can see), but also targets the deep core muscles, including the all important transverse abdominis. Your lower back also gets a great workout! It is however quite a technical exercise, and due to the body position, it is difficult to watch your form in the mirror. I advise performing this exercise under qualified supervision until you have the technique perfected!