With so much talk about people wanting to lose their belly fat and have a hard abdominal section, I rarely see people sticking to the nutrition basics. Nowadays everybody is looking for miracle bodybuilding supplements that will enable them to lose the fat instantly without any effort. However, if you have been reading the articles of this web site, you should know that it takes a good bodybuilding diet and training routine in order to lose belly fat. Crunches are a great way to achieve your abdominal goals.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 30-40 seconds depending on amount of repetitions performed and setup time.
Here's How:
- Sit on a flat surface with your lower back curvature pressed against the surface. Your feet should be bent at the knee and pressed firmly against the floor.
- The arms should either be kept alongside the body or crossed on top of your chest as these positions avoid neck strains (as opposed to the hands behind the back of the head position).
- Lower your torso into a stretch position keeping the neck stationary at all times. This will be your starting position.
- With the hips stationary, flex the waist by contracting the abdominals and curl the shoulders and trunk upward until you feel a nice contraction on your abdominals.
- The arms should simply slide up the side of your legs if you have them at the side or just stay on top of your chest if you have them crossed. The lower back should always stay in contact with the floor. Exhale as you perform this movement and hold the contraction for a second.
- As you inhale, go back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Tips:
- Perform this exercise slowly and deliberately as it takes some getting used to. Also, do not be hasty and try to use weights on the first time; you’ll have enough in your hands learning how to perform the exercise with good form. Also, if balance is an issue I recommend having a spotter next to you and also placing each of your feet under a 100-lb dumbbell for added stability.
- As you get more advanced you can hold a dumbbell or a weight plate being held at arms length on top of your chest. However, you have to be very careful when adding weight to this exercise as if you add too much too quickly you could get a hernia.
What You Need:
- Bench and weights (optional)
