Crunches to split your upper abs! What is the most effective way for beginners to train?

If you’re going to do crunches, get the form right! Learn how to do it in a way that works the upper part of the abdominal muscles well.

Crunches look simple because of their simplicity, but if you use the wrong form, you may end up working different muscles. Here, personal trainer Oshima will show you the correct way to do the “crunch” that will work your abdominal muscles!

(1) Lie on your back with the soles of your feet firmly on the floor and bend your knees to about 90 degrees. It is important to keep your legs firmly aligned, because if your legs are spread apart, the load will be reduced.

(2) Hands should be in front of you or crossed over your shoulders. If the hands are crossed behind the back, there is a risk of lifting with the strength of the arms, which may cause neck (cervical vertebrae) pain. When holding the hands in front of the body, the elbows should be fixed to prevent the arms from swinging during the movement.

(3) Raise your upper body until your waist does not leave the floor. At this point, pull in your chin as if you are looking into the belly button to firmly work the upper part of the rectus abdominis muscles. The rectus abdominis is also contracted by exhalation, so exhaling completely as you raise your body is also a key to enhancing the effect.

(4) When lowering the body, do not let gravity do the work, but slowly lower the body while being aware of the extension of the abdominal muscles. If this is difficult, it is better to lower the body to the point where the entire back touches the floor.

How many times and how many sets are required to get results with crunches?

For beginners, it is recommended to start with a goal of 3 sets of 10 repetitions. If you are not able to do 10 repetitions, it is recommended that you either work up to the maximum number of repetitions or narrow the range of motion to do so without strain. However, if you are aiming to break your abs, it is more efficient to increase the intensity of each exercise than to do dozens of times.

Three ways to increase the intensity of your crunches!

(1) Slow down to increase the load on the abdominal muscles
Because the movements are simple, they tend to be done quickly, but you can increase the intensity by daring to do them slowly. For example, you can raise and lower your upper body for 3~5 seconds at a time. This is a very hard exercise because it requires constant force on the abdominal muscles, and you will feel the pain when you actually try it.

(2) Raise your upper body and hold it for a few seconds.
Once you have raised your upper body to the point where your lower back does not leave the floor, holding it in that position is another effective way to increase the intensity. This is an effective way to strengthen the abdominal muscles by increasing the load as you stop while the abdominal muscles are contracted. Start with a one-second hold and gradually increase the number of seconds as you get used to it.

(3) While holding weights
For a quicker and stronger workout, try holding dumbbells or other weights. (1) and (2) together will be very effective. If you do it with high weights, you may get injured, so take it easy and increase the weight little by little.

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