How to Do Crunches: Proper Exercise Form & Variations

This article was co-authored by Laila Ajani and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising . Laila Ajani is a Fitness Trainer and founder of Push Personal Fitness, a personal training organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Laila has expertise in competitive athletics (gymnastics, powerlifting, and tennis), personal training, distance running, and Olympic lifting. Laila is certified by the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), USA Powerlifting (USAPL), and she is a Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES). This article has been viewed 2,687,941 times.

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To work out your core with a basic crunch, start by lying on your back on an exercise mat. Bend your knees so that your feet are resting flat on the floor, with your feet and knees about hip-width apart. Cross your arms over your chest or place your hands behind your head, whichever is more comfortable. If you put your hands behind your head, take care not to pull up on your head or neck as you’re doing the crunch, since this could strain your back. Inhale, then exhale as you lift your shoulder blades off the floor in a fluid movement. Tighten your abs at the same time. Hold your position for 1-2 seconds before slowly lowering yourself back down to the floor. Inhale while you return to your starting position. Aim to do 3 sets of 20 crunches when you’re starting out. You can always increase the number of reps and sets as you get more comfortable. For variations of crunches that work different muscles, read on!

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