Male

Crunch (hands overhead)

Muscles involved

Building solid confidence in your technique with the Crunch (hands overhead) will transform how you target your abdomen using just your body weight. By keeping your arms extended past your ears, you alter the lever length, making the movement slightly more demanding and precise. During a truly effective set, you should feel a powerful, deep burn right at the top peak contraction, rather than tension in your neck or lower back. Knowing you are executing the motion correctly comes from lifting your upper back off the floor with intention and lowering under full control, ensuring that your core muscles take every ounce of the effort from the very first rep to the last.

How to do it

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, then extend your arms straight up towards the ceiling, holding them alongside your ears. 2. Engage your core and lift your head, neck, and shoulders off the floor, reaching your hands towards the ceiling. 3. Pause at the top of the crunch, feeling a strong contraction in your upper abdominal muscles. 4. Slowly lower your upper body back to the starting position on the floor.

Equipment required

Peso corporal

Muscles worked

Tips

- Keep your chin off your chest and your gaze towards the ceiling to avoid neck strain. - Lift your shoulder blades completely off the floor to maximize abdominal contraction. - Use your abs to pull your ribs towards your hips, not your neck and shoulders. - Exhale forcefully at the top of the crunch to engage your core further.