BASIC CRUNCH

Lie face up on the floor, or on an exercise pad, with knees bent at a 90 degree angle, and both feet flat on the floor. Place your hands beside your ears, or cross your arms across your chest. DO NOT lock your fingers behind your head, as this will promote pulling on your neck. Slowly raise your upper torso up in a curling motion until your shoulders have totally cleared the floor. Slowly reverse the motion and lower your torso back down. Repeat. this exercise can also be done on an inclined board for slightly different muscle activity.

Crunch
 
REVERSE CRUNCH

Assume a start position as in a basic crunch, but this time your upper torso remains stable, and you curl your pelvis upward toward your chest. Maintain 90 degree angles in both your hips and knee joints throughout the movement. Lower your lower body on the negative portion to a point where your feet do not touch the ground yet. Repeat. This exercise can also be done on an inclined board, with your head at the high end, for slightly different muscle activity.

Reverse Crunch
 
INVERTED CRUNCH

For this exercise you will need an inversion table, or gravity boots. Start in the upside down position, with hands beside you head, or arms crossed over your chest. Slowly raise your upper torso up in a curling motion raising as high as you can. Slowly reverse the motion and lower your torso back down. Repeat for reps.

Inverted Crunch

COMBINATION CROSS-BODY CRUNCH

Lie flat on your back and bend your knees about 60 degrees. Make sure your feet are flat on the floor and place your hands loosely behind your head. Do not clinch your hands together. This will be your starting position. Now curl up and bring your right elbow and shoulder across your body while bring your left knee in toward your left shoulder at the same time.

Reach with your elbow and try to touch your knee. Exhale as you perform this movement. Try to bring your shoulder up toward your knee rather than just your elbow and remember that the key is to contract the abs as you perform the movement; not just to move the elbow. Now go back down to the starting position as you inhale and repeat with the left elbow and the right knee. Continue alternating in this manner until all prescribed repetitions are done.

Combination Cross-Body Crunch

TWISTING CRUNCH

This exercise is performed like the basic crunch above, but as you raise your shoulders off of the floor, twist your upper torso to bring your left shoulder towards your right knee. Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position. Either repeat completing twists to one side, and then do the other side, or alternate reps twisting to one side then the other.

Twisting Crunch

INVERTED TWISTING CRUNCH

This exercise is performed like the inverted crunch above, but as you raise your torso, twist to bring your left shoulder towards your right knee. Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position. Either repeat completing twists to one side, and then do the other side, or alternate reps twisting to one side then the other.

Inverted Twisting Crunch

HANGING KNEE RAISES

Assume a start position hanging from a pull-up bar, with legs fully extended. Slowly curl your knees upwards toward your chest, bending your knees as they reach higher. Be sure to curl your pelvis as you come up, DO NOT just flex your hip joints. Slowly lower your legs to the starting position and repeat for reps.

Hanging Knee Raises

ROMAN CHAIR

With the arms bent at 90 degrees and the elbows and forearms firmly pressed against the armpads, hang from a roman chair. Let your legs hang at the angle of the roman chair (different roman chairs will have different angles). Pull your abdominal muscles tightly inward. Pulling with the lower abdominal muscles raise your knees towards your chest, slightly rolling your hips forward and up as your knees get closer to your chest. Pause and slowly extend the legs to the starting position. Keep your feet flexed (toes up) during the exercise.

Roman Chair

BENCH KNEE RAISES

Also called Bench Scissors:

Sit on the end of a flat bench with the hands holding the sides of the bench. Raise your feet 2-3 inches off the floor with the legs extended(slight bend at knee) and lean your torso back so that your body is at a 45 degree angle from the floor. Maintain the lower back in a neutral position and pull the abdominal muscles tightly inward. Using your abdominal muscles, simultaneously pull your knees towards your chest and your chest towards your knees. Pause, squeeze your abdominal muscles and slowly return both the legs and the torso to the starting position

Bench Knee Raises

SIT UPS

Lie face up on the floor, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands beside your ears. DO NOT lock your fingers behind your head, as this will promote pulling on your neck. Slowly raise your upper torso up in a curling motion until your torso is straight up at a 90 degree angle to the floor. Slowly reverse the motion and lower your torso back down. Repeat. this exercise can also be done on an inclined board for slightly different muscle activity, or can be done with feet elevated on a chair or bench.

Sit Up

SIDE CRUNCH

Lie on your side on the floor with the hand on your top arm behind your head. Using only the strength of your oblique muscle, slowly raise your upper torso off of the floor in a sideways bending motion. DO NOT use your lower arm to assist in the motion. Lower slowly and under control, and repeat for reps.

Side Crunches

SIDE BENDS

Stand up straight with a dumbbell in one hand, by your side. Slowly bend at the waist, sideways, toward the side of your body that you are holding the dumbbell with. Bend as far as you can while still keeping your upper torso straight. Raise your body back to the starting position. DO NOT raise up past a straight up and down position. Repeat for reps on one side, then switch the dumbbell to the other hand and complete reps for the other side. In order to avoid over development in the oblique muscles, stick with low weight and high reps on this exercise.

Side Bends




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