How to perform exercise
- To begin, lie down on a bench with a barbell resting on your chest. Position your legs so they are secure on the extension of the abdominal bench. This is the starting position.
- While inhaling, tighten your abdominals and glutes. Simultaneously curl your torso as you do when performing a sit-up and press the barbell to an overhead position while exhaling. Tip: Use your arms to push the barbell out as you perform this exercise while still focusing on the abdominal muscles.
- Lower your upper body back down to the starting position while bringing the barbell back down to your torso. Remember to breathe in while lowering the body.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Caution: It is best to have a spotter while performing this exercise so that it is easier to get the barbell and also get rid of it. Also, always start with an empty bar and do not use jerking motions at any time.
Variations: You can also use a decline bench when you are more advanced.
Photos of the correct technique
What muscles work?
If the correct technique is followed, the following muscle groups work: Abs, and auxiliary muscles: Chest, Shoulders
Weight and number of repetitions
The number of repetitions and working weight depends on your goal and other parameters. But the general recommendations can be presented in the form of a table:
|Goal||Sets||Reps||Weight, %1Rm||Rest between sets|
|Strength||2-6||1-5 reps||100-85%||3-7 min|
|Mass gain||3-6||6-12 reps||85-60%||1-4 min|
|Fat burning||2-4||13-25 reps||60-40%||1-2 min|
In order to make the training more diverse and effective you have to change the number of repetitions and the working weight. It is important not to go beyond certain values!
*Specify the weight and the maximum number of repetitions that you can perform with this weight.