Partner Abdominal Exercises

Working out requires a little motivation, and partner abdominal exercises are a great way to keep your motivation high.

As a personal trainer, I am always thinking about new ways to challenge my clients, keep them motivated, and make our ab workouts fun and not boring. Whenever, we do partner abdominal exercises the time flies and so does the sweat.

If you have a workout partner use some partnered ab exercises, and if you don't have a workout partner... find a willing friend or family member.

Before you learn the exercises you can do with a friend, check out this funny video of a monkey and bulldog as workout partners.

Partner Abdominal Exercises:
Medicine Ball Sit Ups with a Toss

This is an advanced ab exercise. You should be able to do a complete set of 10-15 sit ups without the medicine ball before you attempt this exercise.

There are a few variations of this exercise, but let's start with one partner doing sit ups and the other catching and returning the medicine ball.

Starting Position: Partner A begin by sitting on the floor, while Partner B stands in front holding a medicine ball.

Form: Partner B gently throw the medicine ball to Partner A. Partner A goes down to the ground, and then performs a sit up. As Partner A sits up he/she throws the ball back to Partner B. Repeat for 10-25 repetitions, and then switch places.

Personal Trainer Tips: Use a 4-12 pound medicine ball.

Think about your partners hands as you toss the ball back and forth-- don't throw as hard as possible.

If the full sit up is too challenging you can limit the range of motion by not going down all the way to the floor.

Partner Abdominal Exercises:
Back-to-Back Medicine Ball Russian Twists

If you've seen Rocky I, then you've seen this exercise before. You can both perform the exercise at the same time, or one partner can simply pass the medicine ball to the other.

The most popular way is with both partners standing back-to-back.

Starting Position: Stand back-to-back with one partner holding the medicine ball.

Form: Start by twisting clockwise for 10-25 repetitions. Then, reverse directions and twist counter clockwise for 10-25 repetitions.

Personal Trainer Tips: Use a 4-12 pound medicine ball. With this exercise you can usually use a heavier ball than during the partner sit ups.

The soft leather cover medicine balls are easiest to use and generally more comfortable on the hands.

This exercise can be a little tricky if there is a huge difference in height between the partners.

Partner Abdominal Exercises:
Crunches with Hand Taps

This is an ab exercise that I use often with my clients; it makes crunches more interactive and takes away the monotony. Also as the trainer, I can randomly change the challenge during the middle of the set.

Starting Position: Partner A lies in the crunch position with one hand behind the head for support and one hand out stretched towards the knees. Partner B stands or kneels in front of Partner A and provides a target for Partner A to reach for as they crunch forward.

Form: Partner B (standing) provides a target while Partner A crunches up and touches the target. Partner A returns to the starting position and Partner B changes the position of the target. Partner A should repeat crunching and changing targets for 10-15 repetitions with the right hand and then switch and repeat for 10-15 reps on the left hand.

Personal Training Tips: Don't sacrifice form for the sake of reaching the target.

Since this exercise uses crunches (instead of sit ups), your lower back should stay on the floor. Just lift your shoulder blades off the floor when you are crunching.

Partner Abdominal Exercises can be a fun way to spice up your ab workout and keep your motivation high.

Remember to have fun when you're working out, and make sure your partner is just as motivated as you are.

Check out this video with a monkey and a bull dog doing partnered sit ups. I guarantee that your abs will get a workout just by laughing at this video.

Keep Working
Yours in Health
Dr. Charles

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