Supine Isometric Abdominal Press
oec:supine-isometric-abdominal-press
A supine core-strengthening exercise where the hands push firmly against the thighs in a tabletop position to produce maximal isometric abdominal recruitment.
Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.
Also called: Double-Leg Abdominal Press, Dead Bug Isometric Press, Isometric Dead Bug Hold, Supine Knee-to-Hand Isometric Press
How to do it
Setup
- Lie flat on your back on a mat.
- Lift your legs into a tabletop position with your hips and knees bent at 90-degree angles and shins parallel to the floor.
- Flatten your lower back gently into the floor and place both palms firmly against the fronts of your thighs just above the knees.
Movement
- Simultaneously push your hands hard into your thighs while forcefully resisting the push by pulling your knees toward your chest.
- Ensure neither your hands nor your legs move, maintaining a completely static, high-tension contraction.
- Hold the maximal isometric effort for the prescribed duration while keeping your lower back flush against the floor.
- Gradually release tension and lower your feet back to the floor.
Breathing
Maintain continuous, shallow diaphragmatic breathing throughout the hold without letting your abdominal brace loosen or holding your breath completely.
Cues
- Glue your lower back to the floor
- Push hands and knees into each other equally
- Breathe through the brace
Common faults
- Arching the lumbar spine off the floor during the press.
- Posteriorly tilt the pelvis and actively press the lower back down before initiating hand pressure.
- Holding breath and bearing down excessively (Valsalva).
- Take short, controlled breaths out through pursed lips while sustaining constant isometric tension.
- Pulling knees past 90 degrees toward the chest.
- Keep the knees stacked directly over the hips to maintain optimal core engagement.
Safety
- If you experience lower back discomfort, reduce pressing intensity and ensure the pelvis remains tilted posteriorly.
Muscles
Joints
- Lumbar spine: Isometric stabilization
- Hip: Isometric stabilization
- Shoulder: Isometric stabilization
Details
- Movement
- Anti-extension
- Modality
- Calisthenics, Rehabilitation, Strength
- Mechanics
- compound
- Force
- static
- Laterality
- bilateral
- Kinetic chain
- closed
- Level
- beginner
- Equipment
- None
- Record
- Duration
- Load
- none
Related
- progression of Abdominal Bracing
- regression of Dead Bug
Sources
- wger: Double-Leg Abdominal Press, by beagle (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.