Crunches are performed lying on a mat or on the floor with your arms crossed in front of your chest. Many people do crunches with their hands behind their heads, which can pull the head and neck, causing back problems. A slightly different position is to place your fingertips behind your ears instead of crossing them on your chest. It is important not to pull your neck or ears to help you get off the floor. Instead, suck your abs back in toward your spine and inhale through your nose at the same time. Using only your abdominal muscles, lift your shoulders toward your knees. Do not lift your entire lower back off the floor. This can strain your lower back. Lifting your entire torso will not provide any additional benefit to your abs. The key to crunches is to first flex your abs as you lift your shoulders off the floor. Exhale through your mouth as your shoulders come off the floor. Complete the exhale as your shoulders come off the floor, exhaling the last of the air from your lungs. As you inhale, lower your shoulders back to the point where your shoulder blades touch the floor. Proper breathing and muscle flexion are important to get the most benefit from crunches.
sit-up
Again, start in a sitting position on the floor with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent. You can place your fingers behind your ears or cross your arms over your chest. Inhale deeply and slowly lift your entire back off the floor, exhaling as you reverse the motion. This exercise can be made more difficult in a number of ways. For example, you can do sit-ups on an incline with your head lower than your lower body. Then you can add weight to your chest to do the sit-up. The weight can be heavier on an incline bench. The next difficult step is to lift your feet off the floor while doing sit-ups or use your legs to pedal a bicycle while doing sit-ups. These exercises may not be easy, but they are very beneficial for your abs.
leg lift
Leg raises begin by lying on the floor with your legs straight and your hands at your sides. Without bending your knees, raise both legs at the same time so that your legs form a 90-degree angle or as close as possible. Not everyone is flexible enough to reach a 90-degree angle. Lower your legs as close to the floor as possible without actually touching them and repeat several times. Add weight to your legs as you lift to increase the challenge of this exercise. Another challenging exercise to improve your abdominal definition and muscles is to hang from a pull-up bar and raise both legs to a 90-degree position. As with most other exercises, try to be conscious of your breathing as you slowly perform the routine.
Jackknife Sit-Up
This exercise starts with you lying flat on the floor with your hands at your sides for better balance. At the same time, raise your knees and slowly raise your torso until your face and knees meet. Slowly return to the starting position with complete control of the movement. The name jackknife comes from the natural tendency for the legs to bend at the knees and the feet to drop to the hips, forming a jackknife shape. The difficulty of this position can be increased by placing weight between the feet while doing the sit-up.
V-up
This exercise starts with you lying on your back on the floor with your arms extended over your head. Lift both legs and torso simultaneously without bending your knees or arms. Keep your pace slow and steady, and grab your feet with your outstretched hands at the top of the arc. Try to touch your feet if possible, but this can be tricky until you become more flexible. As with any exercise, adding weight between your feet increases the difficulty.
Incorporating these exercises into your fitness routine will effectively target your abdominal muscles. Maintain proper form and breathing control to maximize the benefits and avoid injury. Consistency and dedication are key to achieving the coveted six-pack abs.
Published by May Healthy Lifestyle
