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Move of the Day: Weighted Crunches

Posted February 24, 2008 at 10:00 AM by Lindsay Hutton

Section: Her Fitness, Move of the Day

For anyone looking to build strength and hypertrophy in the abs, this is a great move. You should be comfortable performing a basic crunch before advancing to this exercise. You will need either a dumbbell or medicine ball.

To begin, lie on your back flat on the floor, keeping your head and shoulders down. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Beginning with a light weight, grip it in both hands and hold it over your chest with a slight bend in your elbows. Keeping your eyes towards the ceiling, slowly roll your head, shoulders and upper back off the floor into a crunch position by contracting your abs. Do not allow your chin to drop down towards your chest; keep it pointing up. Lower yourself back down, but do not allow yourself to take a break before beginning the next repetition. Complete 10-15 reps or until fatigue. If 15 reps is too easy, increase the weight.

Remember: Do not allow your lower back to arch; only use your abs to lift yourself into the crunch position. You should not feel any pain in your back or neck; if you do, decrease the weight you are using. If the pain continues, stop the exercise and consult your doctor.

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Tags: ab exercises, abdominal stability, abdominal trength, core stability, core strength, crunches, hypertrophy, muscular hypertrophy, weighted crunches, womens strength

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