

There are plenty of exercises that are similar to the reverse crunch. Repeat the steps, remembering to breathe slowly while squeezing your abdominals.Ĥ exercises that will help you do a reverse crunch.Keep the legs at a 90-degree angle throughout the entire movement as you come back down, through tabletop, and tap the feet on the ground.Make sure that only the lowest part of your back comes off the ground nothing higher. Keep your entire upper body on the ground. Engage your core as you lift your hips and knees toward your chest.Keep your calves parallel to the mat so that your legs are in a tabletop position. With your knees bent, squeeze your abs and raise your legs so that your knees are hovering over your hips at a 90-degree angle.Lie on your back with your arms at your sides.Remember to take it slow and control your momentum.
#Reverse crunch target muscles how to
How to do a reverse crunch correctlyįollow the steps below to perform the reverse crunch.

#Reverse crunch target muscles full
When practicing the move, only crunch your hips and legs up as far as you’re comfortable with, that may be half way or even a quarter of the way you raise them in the full movement. The modified version involves all of the same movements, you simply decrease the range of motion. But if the reverse crunch seems too challenging, it’s very easy to modify. Reverse crunches can be difficult for those who don’t consistently work their core. Keeping your lower body in a controlled movement will help engage your core more effectively.

Take it slow! Make sure each upward movement comes from squeezing the abs instead of momentum from swinging the legs.This move activates the obliques and major abdominal muscles for a strong, toned core region. Reverse crunches, if performed correctly, can help strengthen the core without straining your neck and low back. What are the benefits of a reverse crunch? This gives your neck a rest and makes it less likely you will put undue stress on the back while trying to target the abs. In a reverse crunch, you lift your knees up toward your chest, instead of lifting your shoulders and neck off the floor toward your knees. What are reverse crunches? It's essentially the opposite movement of a standard crunch. This variation on the standard crunch will still work your abs, but reduces the risk of injury. So when I hear people complain of pain, I like to recommend reverse crunches instead. As a personal trainer, I've seen that when crunches are not performed correctly, they can definitely wreak havoc on the neck and low back. While they are popular (and can be effective when performed correctly!), research suggests that standard abdominal crunches increase the risk of low-back pain.
