Incline CrunchesIncline Crunches are an easy way to increase the challenge to your abdominal muscles. When you lie on an incline, you have to curl up against gravity, and using this exercise is a simple way to progress your ab workout when regular crunches get too easy. If you have been doing regular floor crunches for months, then you likely need to increase the difficulty of your ab workout. If you don't have access to an incline board, you can also add resistance to increase the challenge on your ab muscles. You can add resistance to your legs with ankle weights or you can add resistance to your upper body by holding dumbbells. You can use many different techniques to increase the intensity of your ab workouts. The most important thing is to progress and get better. Incline Crunches Starting Position: Lie on a slanted board with your feet secured and your hands behind your head. This exercise is performed in the same manner as floor crunches.
Form: Exhale and curl your body forward until your shoulder blades come off the board. Hold at the top for 1 second and slowly lower back to the starting position.
Personal Trainer Tips: Since this is a crunch, the range of motion is different from the full sit up. Only curl from your spine, and do not hinge from your hips. To change the intensity of this exercise you can adjust your hand placement or the degree of incline. Placing your hands across your chest takes some pressure off the abs. But, stretching your arms overhead makes the exercise more difficult.
Also, as you increase the angle on the incline you make the exercise more challenging for the abdominal muscles.
Next time you're at the gym, look for the incline board and try crunches on an incline. You should feel fatigued a lot quicker than during regular crunches, but keep at it and build up your strength. Yours in Health,
Return to the Directory of Abdominal Exercises from Incline Crunches
|
