How to Do Belly Crunches

Doing sit-ups is a quick way to get strong abs. Start with the basics and then try variations of the traditional sit-ups as you get stronger.

Table of Contents

Steps

Bend your knees and place the pads of your feet on the ground.

Place the right hand on the left shoulder and similarly the left hand on the right shoulder, so that the hands are crossed in front of the chest, or behind the head. This pose gives you an elevated center of gravity.

Slowly tighten your abs by pulling your belly in toward your spine.

Keeping your heels on the ground and toes keeping straight on the ground, slowly and gently lift your head first, then your shoulder blades. Focus your eyes on your knees while contracting your abs. Bend from the ground until you make a ninety-degree angle, or until your elbows touch or pass over your knees.

Hold that position for a second. Slowly bring your upper body back to its original position on the ground, but try to stay a little off the ground. This means that you do not lay your back flat on the ground, but leave a small distance to form an arc, keeping it comfortable when in this position.

Repeat steps 3-5 for this exercise. Only do two to three reps if you are a beginner and slowly increase the number of reps as your stamina increases. You might as well lose weight!

Other types of crunches

Work on the side of your abs with a cross crunch.

Practice cycling sit-ups to exercise your legs.

Work out your lower abs by doing reverse crunches.

Do crunches with an exercise ball if you have back pain and want to limit straining your back muscles.

V-bends to work the entire upper body and legs.

Learn how to do military sit-ups if you’re planning on attending a new recruit training camp.

Advice

If you’re having trouble keeping your footrest or heel on the ground, try and ask a friend to help you keep your feet on the ground. You can also find something heavy (like a sofa) and put your feet under the chair. This will help you lift your upper body.
Moderation is key to any ab workout because the abs are the heart of the body. If you think about it, in everything you do every day (walking, running, sitting, standing, reaching for something, etc.) abdominal muscle activity. For that reason, you should be aware that if you do too many crunches (or any other abs exercise) you run the risk of not getting everything done the next day because of pain in the abdominal area. If you are a beginner, start slowly and gradually increase the number of repetitions.
As you get stronger, try a Pilates variation of this move: Instead of keeping your hands behind your head or over your shoulders, keep your hands straight next to your upper body, and as you lift up to crunch, slide your hands. forward and lift your arms at the same time you lift your upper body and extend your arms forward. Relax your shoulders and don’t tilt your head too far forward. As you relax back to the starting position, slowly release your arms back to the same position on the ground next to your upper body. Repeat for each crunch.
Be careful and limit yourself in the first few exercises, only practice this movement a few times to avoid injury.
Inhale as you crunch and exhale as you drop your back almost touching the ground. In this way, oxygen will circulate throughout the body.
When doing any kind of crunch, always breathe properly.
If you’re starting to do military crunches, warm up your muscles first. Slowly but surely, to avoid injury.
If you don’t have enough endurance to do crunches enough for one time, then divide 15 + 15 + 15 for the whole day.

Warning

Remember that the only way to build muscle is to push it to its limit. But if you’ve been doing crunches so much that you’re starting to feel pain in your abs, you’re probably doing too much. Your body shape will start to go wrong and you won’t be doing crunches properly and effectively.
Avoid crunches if you’ve been diagnosed with osteoporosis. Bending your spine when you’re doing crunches puts a lot of pressure on your bones and can put you at risk for fractures.
Don’t make these common mistakes when doing crunches:
- If you choose to keep your hands behind your head so you don’t get caught, make sure you don’t push your head forward as you lift your upper body. This is a natural tendency because it helps you lift, and this tendency will increase as your abs begin to tire. However, pushing your head forward like that puts a strain on your neck muscles. If you put your hands somewhere else, try not to let your head get affected by the exercise.
- Don’t try to hit your forehead against your knee. The higher you bend, the better, but only to a certain extent. If your back starts to arch (in other words, it’s like you’re hunched over when you stand), you’re putting a lot of pressure on your lower back.
- If you can’t keep your feet on the ground and don’t find a way to keep them in the correct position, it will take more effort for you to do so during crunches. Unfortunately, this exertion will come from the thighs, and the thighs are not the goal of this crunch. Some people will tire out their thighs sooner than they do their abs, rendering the entire exercise useless.

Steps

Other types of crunches

Advice

Warning

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