Stomach Crunches on a Bosu Ball
An Effective Abdmoinal Exercise

You can do stomach crunches or ab curl ups (sometimes called partial sit ups) on many different surfaces and the Bosu Ball will give you a slightly different workout from the floor or an exercise ball.

Ab Curl Ups on the Floor

When you do a partial sit up on the floor your spine is flattened out (flexed) so you get less range of motion during the exercise.

Doing a partial sit up on the floor isn't a bad exercise. It's actually a great ab exercise to master before moving on to other variations.

Ab Curl Ups on the Exercise Ball

After my clients master the floor it's usually onto the ball. I often teach my clients how to do a stomach crunch on the exercise ball.

The ball adds a few elements to the exercise.

#1 It extends the hips and the spine so that you get increased range of motion and increased muscle work in your abdominals.

#2 It enhances your coordination and improves stability.

#3 It shifts your center of gravity, and takes a little pressure of the neck muscles.

The exercise ball is a great tool for ab exercises.

Ab Curl Ups on the Bosu Ball

The Bosu Ball is similar to on an exercise ball.

On a Bosu Ball, your spine is extended, which means that your abdominal muscles can work through a greater range of motion when compared to the floor. But, your hips are not extended and this slightly changes the muscle work in your abs.

Because both the exercise ball and Bosu Ball are soft and unstable you get an increased benefit in coordination. But, one benefit of the bosu ball is that it will not roll from underneath you because it has a flat bottom.

Also on the Bosu Ball you can shift more of your hips on the ball to get increased resistance. When doing stomach crunches on an exercise ball or a Bosu Ball, the further your hips are on the ball the harder it is to balance and the harder your abs will work.

Here are the instructions for the Bosu Ball.

Starting Position: Begin by lying on the bosu ball, with your hips just off the edge of the ball. Place your hands behind your head to gently support our neck.

Form: Exhale and curl your upper body over the Bosu Ball. Hold for a brief second at the top, before slowly returning to the starting position.

Personal Trainer Tips: Move in a slow and controlled fashion. Try to keep your hips still. Focus on moving your spine only, not your hips.

Summary

You can do a stomach crunch on many surfaces, and the Bosu Ball is a good piece of equipment for ab exercises.

If you do not have a bosu ball, visit the Directory of Abdominal Exercises to learn all the ab exercises on this site.

Here are some additional pages on the Bosu Ball.
Bosu Ball Reverse Stomach Crunches (Lower Ab Crunch)
4 of the Best Abdominal Exercises on the Bosu Ball

Hope that helps give you some ideas for ab exercises.

Yours in Health,
Charles

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