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Crunches are an extremely effective compound-muscle ab exercise. When done correctly, they target your upper abdominal, lower abdominal, oblique, and lower back muscles, and take less run a risk of injury than traditional sit ups. This commodity volition teach y'all how to ensure correct crisis form, avoid neck pain, and build your core strength. Once you lot've mastered the basic crunch, nosotros'll show you crunch variations to add together to your workout, similar contrary crunches, cycle crunches, and side crunches, that further target specific ab muscles!

1. ane

   Lie on your dorsum on an practice mat. Using a mat, thick towel, or carpeted surface is more comfortable than lying on a hard, blank flooring.^[one]

   • To broaden your workout and engage your entire core, you could as well exercise crunches on a stability ball.^[2]
   • For more resistance, you can try doing crunches on a declined practice demote.

2. 2

   Bend your knees and then your feet are flat on the floor. Your knees and feet should be about hip-width apart. Position your anxiety and so your heels are about 12 to 18 in (xxx to 46 cm) from your tailbone.^[iii]

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3. 

   3

   Cross your arms in front of your breast. You could too identify your fingertips behind your neck or caput if it feels more comfortable. Only be certain non to tug your caput or neck up as you perform a crunch.^[4]

   • Tugging your head or neck can strain your back. To skip this hazard altogether, cross your arms over your breast.
   • For increased resistance, you could hold a 5 to ten pounds (2.3 to 4.five kg) plate weight over your chest.
   • If you place your hands behind your head or neck, keep your elbows bent, extended to your sides, and level with your ears. Letting your arms close in around your head encourages your caput to tilt forward.

4. 

   iv

   Lift your shoulder blades off of the mat with a smooth, controlled motion. Inhale, then breathe every bit you engage your ab muscles and enhance your trunk. Elevator yourself just plenty to enhance your shoulder blades off of the floor. Once your shoulders are raised, break and concur that position for 1 to two seconds.^[5]

   • Lifting your entire torso off of the floor can cause lower dorsum strain. Furthermore, your hip flexors take over when y'all sit down upward all the way. A crunch targets the abs more finer than a full sit-upwards.
   • Your lower back, tailbone, and anxiety should maintain contact with the mat at all times.
   • Keep your neck relaxed instead of tucking in your mentum. Try to keep an apple-sized space between your chin and your chest. Looking at the ceiling tin can help keep you from curling your cervix too much.^[6]
   • If you are lifting your anxiety off the floor during the rep put your feet nether something to keep your feet on the ground.

   Skillful TIP

   Exhale equally yous curl forward and inhale equally you lower your torso dorsum down.

   

   Michele Dolan

   Certified Fitness Trainer

   Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fettle instructor since 2002.

   

   Michele Dolan
   Certified Fitness Trainer

5. 

   v

   Lower yourself back down with a dull, steady movement. Gently inhale as you slowly lower your torso. Don't just drop back downwards to the mat. Using shine, controlled motions work your ab muscles more effectively and aid forbid injury.^[vii]

   • After lowering your upper body to the mat, pause for a moment before you lot do another crunch. If you rush into the next rep, you'll end upward using momentum to lift yourself instead of your muscles. Rushed movements can also atomic number 82 to back injuries.^[viii]
   • Effort doing a set up of 12 crunches. For a full ab workout, you could do 3 sets of 12 standard crunches, 3 sets of reverse crunches, and 3 sets of bicycle or side crunches.

   Proficient TIP

   Laila Ajani is a Fettle Trainer and founder of Push button Personal Fitness, a personal grooming organization based in the San Francisco Bay Surface area. Laila has expertise in competitive athletics (gymnastics, powerlifting, and lawn tennis), personal grooming, altitude running, and Olympic lifting. Laila is certified by the National Force & Workout Association (NSCA), Usa Powerlifting (USAPL), and she is a Cosmetic Exercise Specialist (CES).

   

   Laila Ajani
   Fettle Trainer

   There's no one-size-fits all for how many crunches to exercise. For most people, you could showtime off doing 3 sets of twenty crunches on your offset workout. If you tin can double that very easily, then practise it. Also, yous'll run across some progress if you do crunches once or twice a week, but you'll come across better results if you practise them v or 6 times a week. Y'all don't really take to worry most overdoing something like that.

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1. 

   1

   Lie on your back with your arms by your sides. Get-go by lying on your exercise mat or towel with your palms facing down. For extra support, you could stretch out your arms to each side (so you expect like the letter "T") instead of positioning them close to your trunk.^[9]

   • Whether your arms are stretched out or close to your body, your palms should exist flat on the flooring.

2. 

   two

   Heighten your legs to bring your knees over your hips. Inhale, and then breathe as you contract your ab muscles and lift your feet off of the floor. Bend your knees at 90 degree angles, and hold them directly over your hips.^[10]

   • Think to use shine, controlled motions. Utilize your arms to keep your residual and maintain command.

3. 

   3

   Lift your hips and tailbone off of the mat. Inhale, and so breathe as you lot slowly heighten your hips. Bring your knees toward your caput, and proceed them aptitude at 90 caste angles. Once your tailbone is off of the flooring, hold the position for 1 to 2 seconds.^[11]

   • Your head, upper torso, and arms should maintain contact with the floor. Apply your arms to balance, merely don't use them to power your lift. Focus on letting your core muscles practise the work.

4. 

   4

   Lower your hips to the flooring with a controlled motion. Inhale as you slowly and smoothly bring your hips back to the floor. Go along your knees bent at 90 degree angles, and position them directly over your hips. Pause in this position for a moment, then lift your hips over again to perform another rep.^[12]

   • Repeat the steps to complete a prepare of 12 contrary crunches. After you've finished the last rep, slowly lower your feet dorsum to the floor.

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1. 

   1

   Target your obliques with side crunches. Prevarication on your back with your knees bent, then lower both legs to the mat on your left side. Place your hands over your chest or backside your head, so raise your upper back off of the mat using the aforementioned techniques as a regular crisis.^[xiii]

   • Do 12 crunches with your legs lowered to the left, then repeat the steps to do some other attack your right side.

2. 

   2

   Try overhead crunches to increase difficulty. Start on your back with your knees bent, and stretch out your arms directly above your head (so you lot await similar the letter "I"). Continue your arms extended as you heighten your upper dorsum using the same techniques as a standard crunch.^[xiv]

   • Extending your arms adds more resistance and makes your abs work harder. For an even greater claiming, yous could agree a plate weight or kettlebell in your hands.^[15]

3. 

   3

   Add bike crunches to your ab workout. Commencement on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Enhance your left leg toward your breast, and extend your right leg direct, as if you lot were pedaling a bicycle. Place your fingertips backside your head, lift your upper back off of the mat, and rotate your body to bring your right elbow toward your left knee.^[sixteen]

   • So, straighten your left leg as you drive your right knee toward your chest. At the same fourth dimension, rotate your trunk to bring your left elbow toward your right human knee.
   • Go on to pedal and rotate to complete 12 reps for each side.
   • Recall to use smooth, slow motions, and don't yank your head or neck with your hands.

4. 

   four

   Mix up your routine with cable crunches. Kneel below a cable pulley with handle attachments. Grasp the handles, bend your elbows in a pull-upwardly position, and pull with your arms until they're level with your confront. Exhale, and keep your hips stationary as you contract your abs, curl your dorsum, and bring your elbows toward your thighs.^[17]

   • Inhale every bit yous return the starting position, then repeat to complete 12 reps. Remember to use smooth, controlled motions. Pause between each rep so momentum doesn't ability your movements.
   • Keep your neck neutral instead of tucking in your mentum. Remember to keep an apple-sized space betwixt your chin and chest.

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Proper Form and Variations for Crunches

Add New Question

• Question

  Practise crunches assist you lose belly fatty?

  

  Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.

  

  Certified Fettle Trainer

  Practiced Answer

  No, crunches volition strengthen some of your abdominal muscles. At best, they will help hold your stomach in a bit tighter. We cannot target fat loss. Fat loss volition happen from all over your body.

• Question

  How exercise you breathe when doing crunches?

  

  Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.

  

  Certified Fettle Trainer

  Expert Respond

  Y'all should breathe as you roll forrard and inhale as you lower your body back downward.

• Question

  Will crunches cause a herniated disc?

  

  Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.

  

  Certified Fitness Trainer

  Expert Answer

  Although it is unlikely in a healthy person to herniate a disc using the force of but your own body weight, this exercise is to be avoided if there are whatsoever concerns about herniating a disc. This exercise will very likely aggravate a herniated disc.

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• The all-time time to practise your abs is at the end of your workout. Wearing out your core muscles at the showtime of your exercise routine tin increment your run a risk of getting injured.

• If you're trying to build a 6 pack, keep in mind working out is simply half the battle. You'll demand to maintain a healthy diet to fuel your muscles and burn fat deposits.

• Include a variety of ab exercises in your routine. For example, include multiple crunch variations in your conditioning instead of just trying to do 100 standard crunches.

• Consult a medico before starting a new exercise routine, especially if you have a history of any medical conditions.

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• Stop exercising if you experience pain, and avoid stretching or exercising when your muscles are sore.

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Commodity Summary Ten

To practice a crunch, start by lying on the floor with your knees bent and your anxiety flat on the basis. And so, cross your arms over your chest. When yous're ready, lift your shoulders off the mat while contracting your abs and exhaling. Concur this pose for 1-2 seconds, so inhale and slowly lower dorsum down. Relax your abdominal muscles and echo. For variations of crunches that work unlike muscles, read on!

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