What’s up guys I have been training abs since I was in junior high and crunches are one of the first
exercises that I ever started with. Crunches are awesome for your upper abs and today I’ll give you a
simple tutorial on how to do crunches properly.
Get 5 of my favorite ab workouts here.
How To Do Crunches
We don’t have to overcomplicate this exercise but there are a few things you have to do to feel your abs work properly.
- Have your hands directly over your shoulders
- Open and close your ribs after each rep
- Exhale every time you crunch to help with activation
Simple right? The key is to do more of them* 🙂
It’s common when you are first starting that you may feel this in your neck as well so if you need to
support your neck just put your hands behind your head.
*The key do getting abs or any results for that matter is variety and progressive overload training. Simple put just put a little variety into your training.
Crunches Vs Sit Ups
Crunches and sit ups are two foundational exercise for abs and I’m a HUGE believer in mastering the
basics/foundational movements first.
It’s the same reason why we offer the harder and easier button in our fitness app.
Whether you are doing a push up, a crunch, a sit up or any exercise within our app when you want to
challenge yourself you can simple click harder…
…just like I would do with you in a personal training session.
Learn more about our workouts powered by our K Squared Fitness app here.
I have two different sit up variations for you to try.
One really hard one and an easier version:
Variation #1
This is a very challenging sit up.
The strength required in your core, shoulders and midline is going to be challenged.
But that’s why you are here, give it a try!
Variation #2
That’s my wife Katie (she is a bada**)
That’s where the name K Squared Fitness comes from by the way (Kevin & Katie) anyway…
…butterfly sit ups are a little different than what you might have thought of when it comes to sit ups.
You were probably visualizing having your feet locked into something we would do that when I was in the
military and there is nothing wrong with that.
The benefit of the crunch vs the sit up specifically the butterfly style is that hit your entire core
ESPECIALLY if you control on the way down.
Give it a try!
Conclusion
Crunches has always and will remain in our workout programs because it's one of the foundational movements just remember to:
- Have your hands directly over your shoulders
- Open and close your ribs after each rep
- Exhale every time you crunch to help with activation
Get 5 of my favorite ab workouts here.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to do crunches correctly
Keep your hands directly over your shoulders, open and close your ribs, and exhale each rep to help with activation of your abs.
What is a straight leg crunch
Simple put it's a crunch with your legs extended. Have your hands directly over your shoulders and reach up up.
What does a straight leg sit up do?
This exercise is TOUGH. The strength and mobility required in your shoulders, hamstrings, and abs make this one of the hardest variations of sit ups you can do.
Any other questions leave them in the comments below and I'm happy to help.
