The traditional crunch involves simply lifting your shoulders and head off the floor, which does not engage all of your core muscles – your lower abs, in particular, are not involved in the movement. The primary function of your abs is to stabilize your midsection. It helps you maintain good posture, supports you when lifting heavy objects, and allows you to twist and rotate. These are actions that occur throughout the day, so your abs must be able to work for extended periods of time.
Crunch focus on building this important muscle strength in the abdominal muscles. Muscle strength refers to these fibers’ ability to work against resistance for a long period of time. A 2015 study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness found that even doing crunches once a week improved abdominal endurance in people who had never done abdominal exercises before.
We are providing the list of best and important 5 exercises which are important for your abs and you must add them in your workout routine.
#1 Crunch
The bicycle crunch is one of the effective crunch exercises in terms of stimulating the core muscles, your top abdominal muscle, and the obliques, your side abdominal muscles. Because you are elevating your legs, you are also engaging the transverse abdominis, a deep ab muscle that is difficult to target. Bicycling engages both your legs and quads, so you’ll be training your thighs in addition to your abs. And beginners should start with this exercise first.
Let’s understand how to do it properly:-
- Place your hands behind your head, softly supporting it with your fingers, and lie face up on the mat in proper form.
- Bring your knees into your chest and elevate your neck and shoulders off the floor without hurting your neck.
- As you extend the opposite leg, rotate to the left, putting the right elbow nearer the left knee.
- Change sides, putting the left elbow up to the right knee.
Continue pedaling on alternate sides for 1 to 3 sets of 12-16 rep/repetitions.
#2 Vertical Leg Crunch
A vertical leg crunch is an abdominal exercise that involves keeping your legs vertical, or parallel to the floor, all through the abs workout. Vertical leg crunches are one of the best bodyweight crunch exercises for developing a strong core. They are a total-body workout that will help you build strength, identify muscles, and achieve your fitness goals, so make sure to add this in your workout routine.
The crunch movement is a great way to stimulates your upper and lower abs more than a regular crunch because you keep your legs in the air. Vertical leg crunches, on the other hand, work muscles in both the upper and lower body, including the abdominal muscles, glutes, hip flexors, and hamstrings.
Let’s understand how to do it properly:-
- Lie on the floor and raise your legs straight up, knees crossed.
- Put your hands behind your head for support, but don’t strain on the neck.
- Contract your abs to raise your neck and shoulders off the floor, as if reaching your chest for your feet.
- Maintain a constant stance with your legs and visualise moving your belly button towards your backbone at the top of the movement.
Lower and repeat for 1–3 sets of 12–16 rep/repetitions.
#3 Long Arm Crunch
Lie on a mat and extend your arms stretched out behind your head, hands clasped, and arms near to your ears.
Let’s understand how to do it properly:-
- Lift the neck and shoulders off the floor by squeezing the abs.
- Avoid stressing the neck by keeping the arms straight. If you are experiencing neck pain, place one hand behind your head while keeping the other arm outstretched.
Lower and repeat for 1–3 sets of 12–16 rep/repetitions.
If you want to increase the difficulty, grip a light weight.
#4 Reverse Crunch
If done correctly, reverse crunches can help strengthen your core without straining your neck or low back. This exercise engages the core muscles and major abdominal muscle group, resulting in a strong mobility, toned core region. The reverse crunch is a more advanced version of the well-known abdominal crunch exercise. This exercise will engage your major abdominal muscles, as well as the outer obliques on the sides of your abdomen.
It promotes the development of attractive stomach muscle strength as well as sturdy and operational abs. A strong core is essential for improving athletic performance as well as maintaining balance, stability, and better posture in daily life. Reverse crunches beneficial to include in abs exercises in your routine so that your core muscles are challenged in a variety of ways.
Let’s understand how to do it properly:-
- Lie down on the floor with your hands on the floor or behind your head.
- Bring your knees in towards your chest until they are 90 degrees bent, with your feet together or crossed.
- Contract the abs to lift the hips off the floor and raise the legs to the ceiling.
Lower and repeat for 1–3 sets of 12–16 rep/ repetitions.
Instead of swinging your legs and producing movement, try using your core to elevate your hips.
#5 Crunch with Heel Push
The Heel Crunch is much simpler than the classic crunch, but it can be just as effective. This exercise works the abdominal muscles more than traditional crunches because it uses the heels to push onto the floor.
The Reverse crunch exercise engages all of your core muscles, including the abdominal muscles, lower back extensors, and even the obliques abdominals groups. This Heel Puch crunch exercise focuses on the lower abdomen more than the standard abs crunch and is thus considered much more effective.
This exercise improves balance and posture by stimulating muscular growth around the lower spine.
This type of crunch can support straighten the stomach and boost metabolism. The crunch with heel push increases core strength, which leads to increased overall strength.
Let’s understand how to do it properly:-
- Starting position: Lie on your back, legs bent, and hands softly supporting your head.
- Keep your feet flexed while you clench your abs and lift your shoulder blades off the floor.
- Avoid pulling on the neck with your hands and instead gently support your head.
- At the apex of the crunch, drive your heels into the floor while squeezing your back towards the mat and gently elevating your glutes off the floor.
Lower and repeat for 1–3 sets of 12–16 rep/repetitions.
Words from us
While the crunch is a great exercise for toning the abdominal muscles, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to perform it correctly.
First, keep the chin away from the chest while performing the crunch. This helps to protect the neck and ensure that the spine remains in alignment.
Second, be sure to exhale as you perform the crunch, and resist the temptation to hold your breath. This will help to prevent strain on the abdominal muscles.
Finally, focus on contracting the abdominal muscles throughout the entire range of motion, from start to finish.
By following these simple tips, you can perform crunches safely and effectively.
Answers You Want To Know
- How can I do heel push exercises to help improve my balance and coordination?
Here’s how you can do heel push exercises to improve your balance and coordination:
- Stand with your feet hip width apart and shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your knees until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings and glutes, then press your heels into the ground to lift your body upwards.
- Hold for two seconds at the top of the move, then slowly lower yourself back down to starting position.
- Repeat this exercise 10 times each side for maximum results.
2. What is the best way to hold a crunch exercise?
To do a crunch properly, you need to hold your abdominal muscles in a contracted position. There are two main ways to do this: with one hand on your chest and the other behind your back, or with both hands behind your back. You can also do crunches using an stability ball or Swiss ball.
3. Can heel push exercises help improve my posture?
Heel push exercises can help improve your posture and are a great way to start your day or get some exercise in at home. They also work the hamstrings, glutes, calves and abs, making them a great low impact workout. The best times to do heel push exercises are in the morning before you start your day or when you have some extra time in the evening.
4. How often should I do heel push exercises for the best results?
Heel push exercises are a great way to increase the strength and endurance of your abdominal muscles. To get the most out of these exercises, do them two to three times a week for the best results. Make sure to perform 45 degree back bends while doing these exercises – this will target your abdominal muscles in just the right way. And finally, keep your hands placed on either side of your hips and lift your heels up towards your buttocks as far as possible.
5. What are some other benefits of doing heel push exercises regularly?
Heel push exercises are beneficial for many reasons, such as:
- Heel push exercises help to increase calf strength, which in turn helps improve balance and posture.
- Abs are strengthened when the stomach is pulled downward and held for a few seconds at a time.
- The crunch exercise also targets the rectus abdominis muscle, which is responsible for abdominal beauty.
