Difficulty: Easy
Impact Level: Normal
Target Body Parts: abs
How to do Abdominal Crunch
Back to ExercisesInstructions
Start off lying on the floor, face up, with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor. Reach your arms up towards the ceiling. Then before you start the movement, engage your core by drawing your belly button and waist down towards your spine. Also, tuck your chin in slightly as if you are holding a tennis ball between your chin and chest.
Then slowly, tense your upper abdominals to lift your head, then neck, then shoulders and upper back off the floor as you reach forwards and up with your hands. Keep you lower back on the floor and do not let it arch away from the floor.
From this top position, slowly lower your upper back, then shoulders, then neck and head back to the floor ready to repeat the next repetition. Continue this small focused movement and contraction of your core muscles for the duration of the exercise.
How to make Abdominal Crunch easier
You may find this exercise easier if you rest your arms on your thighs instead of reaching them up towards the ceiling. You can also try some of our easier ab exercises to build up to crunches such as: Elbow to Knee and Standing Side Crunches
How to make Abdominal Crunch more challenging
Once you can perform these crunches with good form for the duration of the exercise, try some of our harder core exercises such as: Elevated Crunches, Twisting Crunches, and Supine Bicycle
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