Advanced Exercise

The Body Saw

There are two options for this exercise. The version on the ball is easier to scale the difficulty level up/down, while the towel version doesn’t give you as many options.

  1. Place legs on a ball, hands on the floor so you are aligned in a pushup position
  2. Body should be in a straight line from shoulders to hips to knees (it is acceptable to have hips slightly higher than your shoulders/knees)
  3. To decrease the difficulty, have the ball closer to your hips, to increase the difficulty, move the ball further away
  4. Slowly push your body backwards away from your hands while keeping your hips up/away from the ground (don’t let them sag down), then return to the starting position
  5. You should feel this in the front of your abdominal wall, not in your lower back
  6. If you feel this in your lower back, start with the ball closer to your hips and/or don’t move your body as far backwards
  7. Once you feel able, you can add a 5 second hold at the end point

If you don’t have a ball or are travelling and want to work on this exercise, all you need is a towel and tile/hardwood floor

  1. Set yourself up on the floor as if you were going to do a front plank
  2. Place feet (or knees) on a towel
  3. Lift yourself up into a front plank (it’s ok to have your hips slightly higher than your shoulders)
  4. Push body backwards away from your elbows while keeping your hips up/away from the ground (don’t let them sag down), then return to the starting position
  5. Once you feel able, you can add a 5 second hold at the end point

Programming the Body Saw

Sets: 3

Repetitions: 10-15

Hold: 5 seconds (optional)

Frequency: 3 times per week on non-consecutive days 

For information on how to put your newly strengthened abdominal muscles to work during the squat, read my article on bracing during the squat

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