A core exercise that targets the muscles in the lower abdomen is the reverse crunch.
Lay flat on your back and place your hands just below your hips to perform a reverse crunch. Lift your knees up towards your head while bending them, drawing them slightly upward at the conclusion of the motion. To finish one repetition, bring your feet back down to a level with the floor.
Reverse crunches can help you get closer to having a trim, toned waist by supplementing your regular core workout.
Table of Contents
Benefits of Reverse Crunches
If the traditional crunch or situp causes neck pain, you might prefer the reverse crunch. The external obliques on the sides of the abdomen as well as your major abdominal muscles will be worked during this exercise.
It helps build a strong core and attractive abdominal muscles. Maintaining balance, stability, and good posture in daily life as well as enhancing your athletic performance start with a strong core.
By building up your abdominal muscles, you’ll be better equipped to perform demanding athletic activity as well as active household chores like gardening, where bending, twisting, and reaching are crucial.
It is beneficial to incorporate a variety of ab exercises into your routine so that your core muscles are worked slightly differently.
How to Do Reverse Crunches?
Getting into Position
- Lay flat on your back. Your legs should be fully extended, your toes pointing up, and you should keep your eyes on the ceiling or the sky. From top to bottom, your body should be arranged in a straight line.
- Lie down with your arms by your side. On each side of your thighs, extend your fingertips in the direction of your feet. To establish stability, firmly press your palms into the ground. If you don’t feel quite stable enough in this position, try bringing your arms closer to your body by tucking the backs of your hands under your buttocks.
- If necessary, stoop and crouch. Your abs will work out more with this exercise if your legs are straighter. To begin with, you might find it helpful to bend your knees if you’re just getting started or if you have limited mobility. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor when you lift your feet and pull your knees back. Then, contract your hip and thigh muscles to lock your legs into position. They should maintain this stance for the duration of the movement.
Performing the Crunch
- Bring your knees in close to your head. Bending your knees, bring them back until they are just in front of your face, contracting the muscles in your lower abdomen. Ensure that the floor is firmly under your hips and butt. Your thighs can turn around on them because they serve as a hinge.
- At the culmination of the movement, lift your knees. Raise your knees so they are parallel to the ceiling as you raise your gaze to the ceiling. Your buttocks and lower back should lift up a few inches as a result.
- Knees back down to hip height. Allow your lower body to descend slowly and steadily, stopping when your thighs are again perpendicular to the floor. To begin the next repetition, reverse your leg movement and lift your knees once more. Your first reverse crunch is now complete!
- Before beginning your next rep, pause for a moment. Take a brief moment to center yourself and stop any momentum you may have gained when you get back to your starting position. You won’t be tempted to cheat when moving into the following crunch if you do it that way. The movement ought to be started by your core muscles alone.
- Per set, try to complete 8–12 crunches. A low-moderate rep scheme will provide just the right amount of difficulty when you first begin. Make an effort to carry out each crunch with proper form and through its entire range of motion for the best results. It will benefit your abs, I promise!
Intensifying the Movement
- Increase the overall number of repetitions you perform. Work your way up to 15 reps once you can comfortably complete 8 to 12 repetitions. Up your efforts to three sets of 15 repetitions. Try a different exercise variation, such as leg lifts, if you’re looking for more intensity after that.
Reverse Crunch Variations
Seated Reverse Crunch
Lean back while seated on a bench until your torso is at a 45-degree angle. Hold your feet out in front of you while firmly securing the bench with your hands. Slowly lower your knees after drawing them up to your chest. This variation puts more of a strain on your lower abs while utilizing other core muscles to keep you balanced.
Medicine Ball Reverse Crunch
Hold a medicine ball between your knees the entire time you are performing the exercise. The weight will help ensure you are performing the exercise with control and will increase the reverse crunch’s muscle-building benefits.
Reverse Crunch With Resistance Band
The secret to a successful reverse crunch is controlling your movements so that your abs are kept under tension the entire time. Adding a resistance band only heightens the tension involved and, as a result, the exercise’s benefits for sculpting your abs. When your feet are lowered, tighten the band by attaching it at the base of a pole and wrapping it around your ankles. As you normally would, bring your knees to your chest. Next, raise your hips as high as you can, then slowly return to the starting position while buckling the band against your resistance.
Reverse Crunch Mistakes to Avoid
Leg-moving ab exercises are prone to poor form because so many people get distracted during them. The reverse crunch is probably the easiest leg raise exercise, but mistakes are still common.
Arching Your Lower Back
Due to the lack of spinal control and core strength in many beginning lifters, this error occurs frequently with beginners. Arching your lower back will decrease ab involvement and shift more of the workload towards the hip flexors.
Avoid it: Maintain a tight, braced core at all times. Make sure your lower back is firmly planted on the ground when you are not flexing your trunk. Exercise slowly and under control. In order to further activate your core, if necessary, lift your shoulder blades a little off the ground.
Using Momentum
It can be tempting to give into momentum because it makes the exercise simpler, but doing so will significantly reduce muscle activation. If you start swinging your legs, you’ll end up using more hip flexors than abs and run the risk of arching your lower back during the eccentric (descent).
Avoid it: Your body will start to lose its optimal bracing and muscle tension at a certain speed of execution. That speed is something you should never reach, but regrettably, you don’t realize it until you do. Use a slow tempo if you’re unsure; give the concentric (lifting) and eccentric (lowering) movements each two to three seconds.
Final Thoughts
Consult your doctor or physical therapist to determine whether this exercise is suitable for you if you have any back or neck problems or injuries. During this exercise, you should not experience any sharp pain but rather stress and possibly burning in your abdominal muscles. Slowly return to a comfortable position and stop the exercise if your stomach, back, or neck start to hurt. Pregnancy should be avoided while performing this exercise.
