Ab Crunch Exercise
We’ve all heard of, done or seen someone doing ab crunches at one point or another. We all know they are a good exercise to strengthen the “core”. Yet day after day I see people at the gym doing them wrong, wrong, WRONG. Here’s the low down on just exactly how you can perform a perfect and effective ab crunch:
- Lie down on the floor face up (on your back). Bend your knees, feet should be flat on the floor, then place your hands behind your head(some people prefer to place them across their chest). DO NOT pull your head forward.
- Engage your abs by pulling your belly button towards your spine. Now, flatten your lower back against the floor or mat.
- Slowly contract your abdominals, bring your shoulder blades about one to two inches off the ground. Crunching is a relatively small movement.
- Exhale as you come up, keeping your neck nice and straight and your chin off your chest. (I choose a spot on the ceiling to focus on and keep my eyes on it the entire time I’m crunching. It helps keep the space between my chin and chest nice and open.)
- Don’t forget to breathe!
- Slowly (and this is key) lower back down, but don’t let yourself completely relax.
- Repeat for 10 to 20 repetitions with correct form (as described above) for each rep, based on your fitness level. Repeat for 2 more sets.
*You should consult a physician before beginning this exercise or any other exercise routine.