Strong abdominal muscles prevent back pain and muscle injuries by making physical activities easier to perform. In addition, increasing strength in your core improves balance. Traditional core exercises are good options, but heel dips offer a new way to strengthen your abdominal area while also providing benefits for the muscles in your legs.

How to Perform

A set of stairs is the only equipment you need to perform heel dips. If you don’t have access to a flight of stairs, use a yoga block or stool, but use caution so that it doesn’t move during your exercise, which could result in an injury. Bleacher stairs, a bench or a chair work well, too, but they increase the risk of injury if you slip or fall. Place your feet on a step so your heels are hanging off. Engage and contract your abs, which will also help keep your balance. Lower your heels and then rise onto the balls of your feet. Lower and raise both feet at the same time or try alternating feet.

Abdominal Benefits

While heel dips won’t provide optimal abdominal strengthening, you do activate your core muscles as you raise your heels. Do a set of heel dips slowly and focus on the muscles in your abdomen and you will notice the slight use. Combining heel dips with other core-strengthening exercises such as crunches and planks is a good way to ensure that you are using all the muscles in your abdomen for allover strength.

Incorporating

Heel dips don’t take a lot of time, making them an ideal addition to your workout. "Running Times" magazine recommends doing five heel dips at a time, several times per day. Including them in your normal workout doesn’t take a lot of effort but offers muscle strength benefits for your abdomen and legs.

Recommendations

When beginning a new exercise, start slowly to prevent an injury. If you are new to heel dips, start with a just a few reps and work your way up to more as your body becomes accustomed to the new movement. When performing heel dips, especially if you are a beginner, hold onto the stair rail or another nearby stationary object, which helps you keep your balance and prevents the risk of an injury if you lose your balance. Once your body becomes used to the posture needed to perform a heel dip, you may find that you are able to balance without holding onto anything. If you feel pain while performing heel dips, stop and talk with your doctor because you could be exacerbating an injury and impeding the healing process.