Abdominal muscles can be developed through many different forms of exercise. You may work your abs seated in a chair, lying on the ground, standing, or with the help of a sit up bench. Sit up bench workouts develop abdominal muscles from a slightly different angle than floor exercises, utilizing leverage and gravity to help build the burn.

 

Straight Leg Raise Sit Up Bench Exercise

Doing a straight leg raises on a sit up bench could put strain on your lower-back, so be sure to move slowly through the exercise if you are prone to back pain. Start by laying on your back-side, grabbing the sides of the bench just under your head. Keep your legs together and raise them straight up, bending at the waist and making sure to keep your legs straight. Now lower your legs back down, and be sure not to rest them on the bench. Advance exercise enthusiasts may want to move their body down the bench, hanging their legs off the end. This vastly increases the difficulty of the exercise.

 

Sit Up Bench Leg Pull-Ins

Leg pull-ins are also done on a sit up bench. Instead of lying your back, you prop yourself up on your elbows. Start by slowly bending your knees, pulling them upwards to your chest. When your knees are as bent as possible pause for a moment, then extend your legs straight out again, making sure they don’t rest on the bench.

 

Sit Up Bench Incline Sit-Up

A specifically designed incline sit up bench allows you to work against gravity, providing an extremely challenging abdominal workout. Straight sit ups on an incline bench work your hip flexors as well as abdominals. Start by hooking your feet under the foot pads usually located at the top of the bench and lie back. Use your abdominal muscles to raise your upper-body, with your hands either behind your head or crossed on your chest. Move slowly and in a controlled way. Try not to use momentum to your advantage, making the workout easier. If full sit ups are too difficult, you may raise yourself part way up in a crunch fashion. If you find the exercise too easy than incorporate weight into your workouts by holding a weight plate behind your head or over your chest.

 

Sit Up Bench Incline Twisting Crunch

While on using an incline sit up bench, adding a twisting motion to sit ups or crunches will activate your oblique muscles as well as abdominals. As you rise up during a regular crunch or sit up, twist your torso so your shoulders point to your opposite knee. You may also throw a punch at the peak of the twisting movement.