Hi All,

I have a bad lower back... which makes most abdominal exercises very difficult or dangerous for me. I know my back might be better if my abdominals were stronger... and I would love to have a 6-pack again, so in order to kill two birds with one stone and NOT throw my back out....

Does anyone know of any good abdominal workouts that won't bother my back too much and don't require one of those stupid machines?

Thanks in advance

Callan Pinckney, the woman who developed Callanetics has scoliosis and started with a very bad back, so the exercises are designed not to strain that area and they really don't. The stomach exercises especially are VERY effective. (I did them years ago and liked them, but now I'm doing Winsor Pilates) You can probably find the book at the library so you can try them before buying anything.

Karla

How are the pilates? I've heard they do wonders for people with bad backs....

Well, I don't have a bad back, but I have noticed that the Pilates do strengthen your back muscles along with your stomach muscles. And the stronger your stomach muscles the less the strain on your back muscles.

On the Winsor Pilates tapes there is one person demonstrating how to adjust the basic exercises if you have weak back or neck muscles.

Karla

Yeah, I love Windsor Pilates. It's amazing how strong it's made my abs as compared to the regular situp workouts you get on most tapes. My back feels stronger as well, and now situps are a breeze. I don't have six pack abs though.