1. Lie on
the floor on your back with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Your feet
should be flat on the floor, about 12 inches from your buttocks. Cross your arms
over your chest.
2. Slowly contract your abdominal muscles and raise your shoulder blades off the floor. Keep your head in line with your body; don't tense your neck or press your chin to your chest. (Hint: Keeping your eyes on a spot high on the wall may help you maintain the right position.) You should feel the effort in your stomach area, not your neck or lower back.
3. Briefly hold this position, then slowly lower yourself back down to the floor.
4. Do as many as you can while maintaining good form and going through the entire range of motion. Try to do more curl-ups each time you exercise.
5. Look straight up, DO NOT flex neck forward to obviate neck strain.
Variation: To make the curl-ups more difficult, hold a
light weight on your chest, move your feet closer to your buttocks or place your
hands next to your ears.