| Position the apparatus so that the front pad is positioned just slightly below your pelvis. Let your upper body relax and comfortably hang down to be perpendicular to the ground. Contract your lower back and slowly elevate your upper body until it is parallel to the ground. As you are elevating your upper body to parallel, position your elbows in a 90 degree angle and keep your upper arms at a 90 degree angle to your torso. Hold this top position for 1 second, contracting both your lower and upper back. Inhale and slowly return to the bottom position. This is a very important exercise to help strengthen the postural muscles of your back and to balance the development of the muscles in the back of your shoulders with those in the front! You can hold onto a light dumbell in each hand when performing this exercise if you would like some added resistance. Do not hyper-extend your lower back! Remember to exhale upon exertion. Don't hold your breath on this one or you will surely get dizzy! |
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