Question:
I’ve heard many different directions for doing a proper crunch and I am getting confused. Also, I don’t know if I’m getting the most out of the ones I’m doing now? (Sarah, Levittown)
Answer:
Here is what I personally do when I do crunches. I lie flat on the mat, knees drawn up, neck and spine are in alignment and eyes look up. Then I
- Compress my lower back into the floor
- Engage abdominals by pressing my navel towards my spine
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Flex spine forward (exhale)
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Keep engagement of the abdominals by lowering in a controlled manner and resuming the procedure.
Aim for quality reps; it’s not a sit-up test. Also, along with those crunches you need to exercise your obliques and opposing muscles of the lower back to strengthen your core. Core strength will contribute to overall improvement in all your exercises and prevent numerous injuries that occur when the center is weak – “the weak link syndrome.”
With practice, it will all come naturally to you.
