The tuck crunch is a bodyweight abdominal exercise that targets the abs and also engages the hip flexors. It involves curling the upper body and bringing the knees toward the chest simultaneously, making it an effective core strengthening movement.
Also Works
Hip Flexors
How to Perform
1
Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
2
Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
3
Engaging your abs, lift your shoulder blades off the ground and bring your knees towards your chest, simultaneously curling your upper body towards your knees.
4
Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your shoulder blades and extend your legs back to the starting position.
5
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Pro Tips
•Simultaneously bring your knees and shoulders toward each other, meeting in the middle for maximum ab compression.
•Keep your lower back pressed into the floor throughout to prevent hip flexor dominance.
•Place your hands lightly behind your head without pulling on your neck.
Common Mistakes
•Pulling on the neck with the hands, which strains the cervical spine and reduces ab engagement.
•Only moving the upper body or only moving the legs instead of coordinating both ends simultaneously.
•Rushing through reps without fully extending at the bottom or fully crunching at the top.