Crunches

Crunches helps in attaining six-pack abs, strengthens the core muscles, Learn more about the various types and the reasons why one should opt for crunches to maintain the body shape.

Introduction

Everything you want to achieve in your life is highly dependent on both mental and physical health. The pandemic of 2020 has taught everybody that it is the survival of the fittest and the one who maintains his health lasts till the end. You can either achieve your target of a healthy body by working out in a fitness center or by simply exercising at home.

Crunches being one of the few workouts that can be done anywhere and anytime not only help in attaining six-pack abs but also activates the side oblique muscles and strengthens the core which can further help in reducing back problems amongst people. Your abdomen is the bridge between your upper body and lower body thus making it even more important to train the abdominal muscles and increasing stability and strength.

What is the correct way of doing the Crunches?

While it may take some time and practice for anyone to achieve the correct posture and position to do the crunches, some of few basic steps to help you move in the right direction of achieving it are:

1. Begin with lying down on the floor with your back straight on the ground
2. After lying down with your lumbar (lower back) on the floor, close your eyes and imagine that your spine is pressing down towards the ground
3. Fold your knees upwards
4. Now, bring your shoulder forward to your hips by pulling your body up and using your stomach muscles during the process
5. Gradually release your body back to the ground on the starting point
6. Take a deep breath and REPEAT!

Now, this is the basics of crunches and it can further be levelled up by adding multiple variations it depends on one’s comfort and capabilities. For beginners one may suggest the basic crunches, the other types to try on are:

• Alternate Heel Touches
• Twisting Crunches

When moving to a more advanced level, one may try the more difficult variations of crunches, but it is highly recommended to move gradually and slowly during the process to avoid the risk of any kind of injury. Once you are confident about levelling up, the variations to try your hands on include:

• Knees to Nose
• Table-Top Crunches
• Steam Engine
• Crunch Kicks
• V’sit Ups

The advanced level variations are high-intensity core exercises that require a lot of practice in mastering.

What Are Some Famous Types of Crunches?

Besides the ones listed above, there are few other variations in crunches that are famous and practiced by health freaks. Some of them include:

• Ball Crunch
• Reverse Crunch
• Bicycle Crunch
• Oblique Crunch
• Double Crunch
• Vertical Leg Crunch

Detailed information and methods to practice these can easily be found in training videos on YouTube!

What are the Benefits of Crunches?

Crunches are one of those many exercises that do not require any kind of equipment or professional training to gain mastery in. Regular practice and hard work are the only keys

to gain perfection. While any exercise is done is beneficial for the body and health, each exercise has a different area that it makes an impact on. For crunches, that region is the abdomen and core muscles. Crunches help in building strength and flexibility in the abdomen area and bring benefits to the spine. Some of the other known benefits of Crunches are:

Strengthens your abs

As mentioned above, if you aim to gain abs and work on your abdomen, crunches are your go-to exercise to achieve that. They simply target your abs and train them to work in a coordinated manner and gives you the required results

Burn More Calories

Now we all know that crunches make a body stronger, but it can also benefit a person who is trying to lose weight or shed those extra kilos especially from the belly. Few minutes of crunches can result in the burning of several calories. A step towards a fitter body!

Free of Cost

For anyone who cannot afford fitness institutes or has access to them, crunches are the best workout to rely on. The fact that it can be done anywhere and anytime that too without any professional training makes is a feasible option for anyone and everyone

Mistakes That Should Be Avoided

It looks quite easy to do but as a matter of fact, crunches are hard and if not done correctly, one can end up hurting himself/herself. Some of the common mistakes include:

Pulling on Neck

It is important to originate movement in your abs and not head thus avoiding straining of neck.

Crunching Too High

It must be a subtle movement where the shoulders should be lifted just a few inches from the floor. Jerking up shoulders is not going to help in building the strength in abs

Relaxing Completely

While going down after an up, it is important to maintain some tension on the abs throughout the entire process and never relax completely

Conclusion

It has been said earlier that crunches may have some kind of disadvantage and harsh impact on the lower back, if done correctly and in the right amount without exerting your body too much, crunches can be of great benefit and help to those looking for those

shiny six-pack abs or a fitter body shape. The fact that crunches exercise is way more controlled as compared to other exercises, it can help you in improving your focus on an exercise routine and develop the correct pattern.