How to modify abdominal exercises
Please remember the advice we give is general and not meant to be used as a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you want specific advice then please seek help from your doctor or local physio.
Abdominal exercises are great for improving the strength of your trunk muscles, which helps with tasks like sitting up from a lying position, so we recommend keeping them in your program unless you cannot find one that is tolerable.
NOTE: Sometimes people are advised against certain abdominal exercises because of conditions such as:
- Osteoporosis
- Pelvic floor issues (prolapse, stress incontinence)
- Hernias
If this is you, it is best to follow a two step process in attempting to make the movement tolerable. We outline this in the video below.
SUMMARY
1. Find the right difficulty level for you
- If, for example, you are doing a plank on your knees and hands, try going to an easier version such as a plank on a chair or bench.
2. Find an alternative abdominal exercise
- If you can't find a tolerable version of the given exercise, then find an alternative abdominal exercise to perform. For example;
- Plank
- Sit ups
- Crunches
- Reverse Crunches
- Mountain climbers