Swiss Ball Jackknife: Exercise of the Week

By: Suzanne Zilkowsky | February 1, 2010

The Swiss Ball Jackknife, also referred to as the Knee Tuck is a great exercise for targeting your lower abdominals. Since the ball is unstable, your abdominals have to work hard to maintain your body position.

Goal: Hold your lumbar spine in neutral alignment while flexing your hips and drawing your legs in.

Muscles involved: Lower Abdominals, Hip Flexors and Shoulder Girdle.

Action: Get into a pushup position with the tops of your feet on a Swiss ball. Place your hands just slightly wider than your shoulders.

Keeping your back flat contract your abs and bend your knees and hips and roll the ball toward your upper torso. Squeeze your abs for a second and then roll the ball back to the starting position. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Tips: Keep the movement smooth and be sure to keep your spine in a neutral position. In other words, don’t let your hips drop out of alignment, as it can hyperextend your lower back.

Try this exercise and let us know what you think. Please leave a comment below: