A crunch is one of the most popular abdominal exercises out there, and one that personal trainers use to whip their trainees into shape. It’s not as intense as a full sit up, but it offers a lot of the same benefits. No matter how many of them you do, you won’t enjoy the benefits unless you know how to correctly perform a crunch. The guide below can help you with just that.
How To Correctly Perform A Crunch:
1. Start by lying on your back and looking towards the ceiling. Make sure you’re lying evenly and not tilting your body in any way. You want your weight to be evenly distributed. Try lying on a thin mat if the floor is too hard for you.
2. Bend your knees and plant your feet firmly on the ground. Bend your knees in a way that is comfortable and natural feeling. They don’t have to be completely bent so your calves are touching your thighs, but they need to be raised more than a few inches off of the ground.
3. There are multiple ways to use your arms while doing crunches. You can lace your fingers behind your head, cross your arms over your chest or make fists and keep your arms straight down at your side. Most beginners feel that keeping their arms crossed over their chest is the easiest way to avoid hurting their neck or trying to use their hands to pull themselves up.
4. Now that you’re in position, you want to use your abdominal muscles to pull yourself up. Make sure you’re moving through your shoulders. Basically, move by lifting your shoulders off of the ground. One big mistake to avoid is moving your neck to crunch up. Don’t do this. Use your shoulders and keep your neck straight and as still as possible to avoid injury.
5. You don’t have to come up all the way to your knees. Come up about half way or as close as you can get, hold it for a quick second, and slowly lower yourself. Repeat this as many times as you can.
Remember that crunches tone and strengthen your abdominal muscles, but healthy eating is perhaps the most important factor for getting and staying in shape.
Feel The Burn With A Trainer
If you need help with diet and exercise, you may benefit from hiring a personal trainer. Talk Local can help you find those fitness professionals in your area to get you on the road to a more fit, toned you.
