Jacknife finish position

Exercise Challenge – Jacknife

The Jacknife is a great exercise for strengthening your abs alongside your legs, arms and back.  This pilates based exercise is a great way to challenge your strength and stability.

How to do the jacknife and different options

I always start by rolling forwards over the swiss ball, the further down your legs the ball goes the harder the exercise.  If you want to make it really challenging then place the swiss ball below your ankles and for an easier version place the ball just below your knees.

Jacknife or pike start position

Start with your body in a long line, make sure you don’t let you back arch by pushing your feet/legs into the swiss ball to keep your butt pushed up.  Keep your hands below your shoulders not your head.  Keeping your spine in its natural s shape bend, pull your knees towards your chest and then return to the start position. Make sure you don’t round your lower back up towards the ceiling, your back needs to maintain neutral the whole time.

For more challenging exercise option that works your obliques a little bit more, try pulling both knees across your body towards one shoulder, return to start and then pull the knees to the opposite shoulder.

Always make sure that you keep your core switched on, pulling in your belly button and pulling up your pelvic floor, this will protect your spine.

Try and do as many as you can before you fatigue or fall off, which ever comes first and then aim to improve on this number each day until the end of the week and let me know below how you get on and how many more you manage.

If you want to see a video on how to do the jacknife then please click here.  It is not me in the video but it gives you a more visual idea of what you should be doing.

Good luck

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