The reverse crunch is a bodyweight exercise that targets the abdominal muscles, especially the lower abs, by curling the hips off the floor and bringing the knees toward the chest.
Also Works
Hip Flexors
How to Perform
1
Lie flat on your back with your arms extended along your sides.
2
Bend your knees and lift your feet off the ground, bringing your thighs perpendicular to the floor.
3
Contract your abs and curl your hips off the floor, bringing your knees towards your chest.
4
Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your hips back down to the starting position.
5
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Pro Tips
•Focus on curling your pelvis up toward your ribcage rather than just lifting your knees toward your face.
•Keep your arms flat on the floor beside you for stability but avoid pressing down hard to cheat the rep.
•Lower your hips back down slowly for a 2-3 second count to maintain tension on the abs.
Common Mistakes
•Using momentum to swing the legs up instead of rolling the pelvis with controlled ab contraction.
•Lifting the hips straight up (like a leg raise) instead of curling them toward the ribcage in a crunch pattern.
•Letting the legs fall back to the starting position without controlling the eccentric.