The Ab Mat is designed to give your abdominals the maximum range of motion so that you are engaging your entire core. This padded mat permits for your lumbar to be supported which allows you to completely stretch and strengthen your abdominals to their full potential. To use correctly, you place the ab mat directly behind your bum (with the highest point of the ab mat closest to you) and extend all the way back until your lumber is resting on the ab mat, and then all the way back up to sitting position.