A crunch variation where the hands are extended overhead, increasing the challenge to the abdominal muscles and requiring greater core engagement.
Also Works
Hip Flexors
How to Perform
1
Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
2
Extend your arms straight above your head.
3
Engaging your abs, lift your upper body off the ground, curling forward towards your knees.
4
Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
5
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Pro Tips
•Extend your arms straight above your head throughout the entire crunch. The extended arms create a longer lever that makes the crunch significantly harder than a standard crunch.
•Focus on curling your upper back off the ground. Your lower back should stay pressed into the floor.
•Exhale as you crunch up and squeeze your abs at the top. The extended arms make it easy to use momentum, so be deliberate.
Common Mistakes
•Bending the arms during the crunch to make it easier, which eliminates the leverage that makes this exercise effective.
•Lifting the lower back off the floor, which uses the hip flexors instead of the abs.
•Using a swinging motion with the arms to generate upward momentum rather than contracting the abs.