- Lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground, or resting on a bench with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle. If you are resting your feet on a bench, place them three to four inches apart and point your toes inward so they touch.
- Now place your hands lightly on either side of your head keeping your elbows in. Tip: Don't lock your fingers behind your head.
- While pushing the small of your back down in the floor to better isolate your abdominal muscles, begin to roll your shoulders off the floor.
- Continue to push down as hard as you can with your lower back as you contract your abdominals and exhale. Your shoulders should come up off the floor only about four inches, and your lower back should remain on the floor. At the top of the movement, contract your abdominals hard and keep the contraction for a second. Tip: Focus on slow, controlled movement - don't cheat yourself by using momentum.
- After the one second contraction, begin to come down slowly again to the starting position as you inhale.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Variations: There are many variations for the crunch. You can perform the exercise with weights, or on top of an exercise ball or on a decline bench.
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Review: Crunches
Oct 31, 2016 4:48 PM: Very informative
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Tip: Crunches
Jun 20, 2016 8:13 PM: Pulling on the neck can cause injury.
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Review: Crunches
May 5, 2015 12:27 PM: Basics!!
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Review: Crunches
Jan 20, 2015 1:04 AM: This is a very effective exercise! If you want to experience more pain try taking some weight and put it on top of your torso and start doing some crunches. I swear to god you can't do more than 10!
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Review: Crunches
May 18, 2014 8:18 AM: This is my daily routine for the past 5-6 days
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Review: Crunches
Jan 16, 2014 7:27 AM: Good work out!
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Review: Crunches
Jun 5, 2013 5:13 AM: One of the better abdominal exercise that can be used to sculpt the midsection.
There is no need to use extra weight if you do them strictly and properly, unless you have really poorly developed abs
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Review: Crunches
Apr 8, 2013 7:05 AM: getting easier
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Review: Crunches
Mar 23, 2012 4:46 PM: One of the best exercises for the abs. I do 3 sets of 40 reps and one set to failure with a 20 lbs plate in my chest. I don't increase the number of reps but the weight I use.
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Tip: Crunches
Jan 7, 2012 6:26 AM: The best excersise for the abs - but only when done correctly. See, what a lot of people (for some reason) don't realise is that abs are like any other muscle in the body; they train better with more resistance. Don't waste your time doing 200 crunches with only your body weight. Put a weighted barbell,...+See More