Crunches

Try these crunches instead of traditional sit-ups. They work great on the abdominal muscles without straining the neck or back.

Lie on the floor and do a set of traditional crunches, with your arms behind your head and your knees bent.

• Start by lying face up on the floor with knees bent.
• The movement begins by curling or ‘crunching’ the shoulders towards the pelvis.
• When in full crunch position, hold for 5 seconds.
• Lower back to the floor and repeat.

Crunch Variations

• The reverse crunch is a crunch done with the legs instead of the chest.

• The twisting crunch is performed by lifting one shoulder at a time. More emphasis is placed on the obliques.
• The Thai crunch is performed by hitting the stomach after full contraction. This variation is used by Muay Thai fighters to condition the core to take hits from punches or knees.
• The bicycle crunch is performed by bringing together alternating elbows and knees, resulting in a leg motion similar to pedaling a bicycle. The bicycle crunch is the most effective in targeting the rectus abdominis and the obliques, according to a study done by the American Council on Exercise.