The reverse crunch is used to target the lower abs.
Below are a few simple tips to get the most out of this awesome core exercise, alone with a few things you’ll want to avoid.
How to do the Reverse Crunch
- Lie on your back on the floor or a bench with thighs perpendicular to the ground. Like you fell back while sitting in a chair.
- Forcefully contract your abs to lift your butt. Hold top position for one or two seconds with a maximal ab contraction.
- Slowly lower back to the starting position with your thighs perpendicular to the ground.
- Repeat for prescribed number of reps.
For added difficulty:
Squeeze a foam roller between your hamstrings and calves and the roller.
Common Reverse Crunch Mistakes
The Reverse Crunch looks simple. But to get the most out of it, you have to do it right.
The most common mistake is lowering the knees too fast. A few problems arise when this happens.
First, you’ll tend to hyperextend your lumbar spine.
Second, you miss the miss the most import portion of the exercise. The negative portion of an exercise is where most of the magic happens.
Muscles Worked in The Reverse Crunch
Like other crunch variations, the Reverse Crunch works all the major ab muscles.
The primary core muscle involved is the rectus abdominis. It’s the large muscle that you see when you have awesome six-pack abs.
Secondary muscles:
- Obliques – the muscles on either side of the rectus abdominis.
- Tranverse abdominis – the deepest of all abdominal muscles