Abdominal Crunches

Abdominal crunches are those exercises which are designed to target the abdominal muscles. Abdominal crunch exercises are quite easy to perform and can be done at home. They benefit their regular practitioners with strengthened and toned muscles. These are the reasons that many fitness conscious people like to include them in their exercise regimen. If you too have been thinking to add upper or lower abdominal crunches to your workout routine, you can learn how to do them from the present article. Read on abdominal exercises.

Step-by-Step Instructions on How to do Abdominal Crunches

• Lay your body on the floor with both legs kept straight and arms at the sides.
• Bend your legs, such that a 45 degree angle is made at the knees.
• Place the feet flat on the floor. You should find the entire positioning of your body comfortable.
• Pull your belly button towards your back.
• Flatten the lower portion of the back against the floor.
• Place both hands at the back of your head. This will provide support during the exercise.
• In the above step, do not use your hands for moving your body upward. You should use them only to support your head and neck when you complete the abdominal crunch.
• Slowly contract the abdominal muscles. Keep them tight and firm, as much as possible. This will deliver maximum strengthening.
• Lift the shoulder blades above the floor. A height of 1 or 2 inches is recommendable. However, make sure that you are not pulling the neck.
• Bring your knees towards your chest.
• Straighten the right leg out. Simultaneously, turn the upper part of the body to the left.
• Bring the right elbow towards the left knee.
• Exhale while coming up. Always keep your neck straight and chin up.
• Stay for a couple of seconds at the top of the movement. Keep breathing continuously.
• Come back to the starting position but do not relax all the way.
• Continue the above given steps in a pedaling motion by switching over the legs.
• Repeat the above described abdominal crunch to a count of 15 to 20.
• You may add variation by bringing knees in at the time when you push your upper body up above the floor. This step will make the entire body known as full body crunch.
• As you get comfortable and confident, you may make the abdominal crunch exercise a bit challenging. An option is to balance on an exercise ball.

Abdominal crunch exercise is not difficult to perform. Still, if you find some difficulty, you may try out a few tips. In order to keep your neck in proper alignment, keep your fist under your chin. This will prevent your head from moving. Secondly, maintain your back, flat on the floor, throughout all the movements. Thirdly, if you find that your back arches during the exercise movements, place your feet on a step, platform, or a similar firm object. This will ease your movements and help you keeping the back straight all the time. Finally, always warm up your body to make the abdominal crunches work effectively.