BASIC TRAINING STRONG ABS, AEROBIC EXERCISE ARE KEYS TO SUCCESS.

Q: I wanted to know a few helpful tips to get up from the bent-knee roll-up, start position. What kind of exercises would be helpful to build up the strength to do this more simply?

-- Julie Landry,

Los Angeles 

A: To build up your strength for a bent-knee roll up, you will need to improve the strength of your upper abdominal fibers, which are the upper fibers of the rectus abdominus (the parallel muscles that make up the "six-pack"). You will also need to make sure that you have good flexibility in your upper back so you can round your spine into the shape of the letter C. You should practice these exercises:

1. Basic Crunches.

2. Basic Crunches reaching the hands to the top of your knees.

3. Bent-Knee Roll Up, grabbing onto your thighs to help you roll up.

4. Half Roll Back: Start from a sitting-upright, bent-knee position and roll back halfway and hold the contraction for 8-10 seconds. When you roll back, round your spine and pull your abs in.

5. Bent-Knee Roll using a towel wrapped around your shins to help you roll up.

FITNESS TIP: To lose body fat around your stomach, you have to get all of your muscles moving so that you can burn calories.

Doing core training (abdominal exercises) alone is not enough to help you lose weight. You have to do aerobic exercise, resistance training, flexibility training and core training to get the best results in the shortest amount of time. You also need to follow a healthy, wholesome meal plan with the proper calorie intake for your body size.

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