Abdominal Crunches - The Best Abdominal Exercise - Build/Tone your abs now
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Why you should abdominal crunches exercise
Perhaps no other exercise has been scrutinized more than abdominal crunches!
Are they effective in isolating the abs?
Do they help get six pack abs?
How much do hip flexors diminish the effectiveness of crunches?
It just does not stop, does it?
Worry not. Abdominal exercises have been researched and proven to be effective in stimulating the abdominal and core muscles.
Do them as a part of overall total body and core training and you will do just fine.
I will show you how to do regular crunches and add variations like twisting crunches, cable and machine crunches.
I will even show you how to do stability ball crunches for extra core stabilization.
Purpose -- To Build Abdominal Muscles, emphasizes upper abs and obliques.
If there is only one exercise you want to do for Abs then it should be Abdominal crunches. It is the overall Abs Builder. Nothing compares to it.
Although Abdominal Crunches hit the Upper abs more than Lower abs by keeping your Legs raised you can keep a constant tension in the Lower abdominal Muscles thereby getting a complete Ab Workout with Crunches alone
Execution Technique.
This exercise can be performed on Ab machines or on flat ground without equipments.
Steps.
1. Lie flat on your back, bending your knees. You can keep your feet on the ground or on a bench to give extra squeeze. You can keep your hands behind the neck or on the chest. This is shown in figure 1.
2. Now move your shoulders and trunk upwards towards your knees. This motion is called crunching. Try touching your chest to your knees. This is shown in figure 2.
3. Now lower your trunk to starting position.
With time the regular crunch becomes easy. At this time you can add resistance by holding a 5 or 10 lb plate on your chest.
Points to remember
- Keep neck and hands relaxed.
- NEVER HOLD YOUR BREATHE. EXHALE AS YOU CRUNCH UPWARDS AND INHALE AS YOU LOWER YOURSELF. Sorry for Shouting. Its that important.
- Go full range of motion.
- Avoid Jerky movements
- Perform as many reps as possible
Abdominal Crunches is the best abdominal exercise. Done properly it is very efficient at building abs. You may need to add reverse crunches to build abs which emphasizes on lower abs.
Just to it.
A Few Variations of Regular Abdominal Crunches.
1. Twisting Crunches
In addition to upper abs this exercise also works on Obliques.
Execution Technique.
Steps.
1. This exercise is done just like regular crunches but during the crunch motion instead of crunching forwards you twist your torso sideways such that the left elbow comes across right knee.
2. Release and lower your torso and then repeat this movement twisting in the opposite direction.
Continue this alternating movement throughout your set.
2. Cable Crunches
In addition to upper abs this exercise also works on lower abs. Here a rope is attached to an overhead pulley.
Execution Technique.
Steps.
1. Kneel down in front of a pulley with rope attached to it.
2. Now holding the rope curl in front bringing head towards your knees.
Points to remember
- Don't pull down with arms
- Hold the peak contraction at the bottom.
3. Machine Crunches
Turn on the TV and what do you see? Abdominal Machines are being increasingly used to perform crunches now. In addition to upper abs this exercise also works on lower abs.
Execution Technique.
This exercise is just regular crunches just performed on machine.
4. Stability Ball Abdominal crunches
Points to remember
- Go full range of motion
- Get a good peak contraction.
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