At the same time, it is beneficial to complement any weight and abdominal training, and will even serve us greatly to improve overall fitness.
A well-trained abdomen limits back pain and the possible injuries we may suffer from lifting a weight.
But one of the most recurring questions is… Will this exercise help me have a flat belly? Yes, of course, as long as you don’t forget to maintain a proper diet and perform a good Cardio session. So let’s see
HOW TO CRUNCH CORRECTLY?
- Lie on your back and bend your knees at 45°. Keep your hands on your temple and your eyes fixed on the ceiling.
- Breathe a little more than normal and, holding your breath, take your head and shoulders off the floor.
- When you reach the tip of your knees with your forehead, you would be marking the ascent limit of the exercise.
- Hold this position for a second.
- Exhale and support your shoulders and head again.
- Relax your body with a slight pause before starting again.
- To make the exercise more difficult you can put weight on your chest, keep your legs suspended on the floor or place your feet on a bench or against a wall.
The effect of contraction rather focuses on the upper abdominals. However, the lower abdominals and hip flexors also contract to ensure the stability of the abdomen and pelvis, thus allowing adequate movement of the upper body.
TIPS FOR PERFORMING THIS EXERCISE CORRECTLY
Let’s take a look at a series of training tips that will allow you to get better results and work more safely when doing this and other abdominal exercises:
Why is it necessary to lower the trunk completely? So that the head and shoulders touch the ground, with this you get the abdomen and the spine into a kind of dead center.
The most important of these exercises is to avoid flexing the torso at the time of ascent. When the spine is flexed, the rotation of the shoulder creates excessive shear and compression forces that can damage the vertebrae and intervertebral discs.
If you have trouble maintaining the position of your head and shoulders, place your fingers behind your head. Now if you think about putting your hands behind your neck, something not recommended, do not pull from there, avoid hurting the cervical vertebrae.
When you lift the trunk, the breathing block that occurs when you exhale slowly after gathering air; this gives more strength and creates intra-abdominal pressure that helps protect the spine.
Conversely, inhalation during the ascent tends to limit movement, which also makes you have less strength to perform the Crunch.