Do abdominal crunches - tips

Video: HOW TO DO CRUNCHES | Perfect Crunch FOR BEGINNERS | Best ABS Exercises | FITNESS SPECIAL | WORKOUT

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Advice
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For heavier resistance, work on a leaning chair.
Some people like to bend their stomach on a balance ball.

Knee bends. Your feet can be flat on the floor, or you can keep them hovering in the air while exercising to make the exercise more difficult.

Arms crossed in front of chest. You can also place your hands behind the neck or head, but many people tend to pull the neck or head up during exercise, which creates additional tension on the spine. Head and neck should be reclining on two hands.

To increase resistance, you should hold the dumbbells above your chest or behind your head.

Raise your shoulders with your abs and pause for a while when you reach the top position. It is important not to lift your entire back off the floor as this will create tension in your back, and such prolonged movement will not help you develop six pack abs faster. When the shoulder leaves the ground, pause and hold the position for a full second (or longer).

You often want to pull your head forward (chin-to-chest flexion) as this makes you feel like you can lift more, not really. It's a bad habit that increases your risk of injury. One way to prevent this is to always look at the ceiling.
If you place your hands behind your head or neck, do not bring your elbows together. Keep your elbows level with your shoulders. Placing your arms around your head will create a tendency to push the bent head forward.
Exhale and tighten your abs as you lift your shoulders.
If you're learning How to take a punch, you can do what a Muay Thai boxer does: have someone punch your stomach while your belly is stiffening to receive that punch.

Slowly lower yourself as you inhale. Don't just "drop" people. Your control during the lowering also helps your abdominal muscles move.

Relax your stomach before you fold again.

Method 2 of 3: Reverse abdominal crunch

Lie on your back on the floor. Place your hands on your stomach or hold your hands on either side.
Lift your feet off the floor. You can either let your knees bend 90 degrees or stretch your legs as straight as possible, feet up.
Lift your hips off the ground with your abs. Be careful not to push the ground with your hands, back, or head. If you can't lift your hips with abdominal muscles, you will need to do more with regular crunches. If not, you'll just be working because other parts of your body are working out instead of the abs. advertisement

Method 3 of 3: Other variations

Cross belly bends. Follow the steps of regular abdominal crunches, but instead of lifting your shoulders off the ground evenly, lift one shoulder to the opposite side (left shoulder to right and right shoulder to left). Alternate roles. This practice is aimed at the diagonal abdominal muscles (muscles on the sides of the abdomen).
Tilt your stomach. Follow the steps of a regular abdominal flex, but keep both feet to one side (knees still flexed and pressed close to the floor). Lift both shoulders off the ground at the same time like a regular stomach crunch. Since the upper body is twisted, you should feel a torsional force on the side. Fold several times to one side, then flip your legs to the other side and repeat on the other side.
Fold your belly with the cable. Stand and hold a cable. Pull the cable down by arching your back and tightening your abs. advertisement

Advice

Crunches are a simple and fun way to create a flat abdominal surface, with rock-hard abdominal muscles.
Women have a more pronounced natural curve than men in the lower back, as their pelvis has a different shape. The more natural fat accumulates in the buttocks, so the hips lift higher when they lie on their back. So women should consider adding under-back padding when doing abdominal crunching instead of trying to force your lower back to lie flat on the floor unnaturally. One simple way is to place a curled towel or a suitable pillow under your back at the point with the greatest curvature. Try rolling the towel in different thicknesses until it feels comfortable.