Reverse Crunch

Description

How to do Reverse Crunch

1. 01
   Setup

   Lie on your back with your arms extended alongside your body, palms flat on the floor for stability.

2. 02
   Setup

   Bend your knees to a 90-degree angle and lift your feet off the floor, so your shins are parallel to the ground.

3. 03

   Exhale as you contract your abdominal muscles, lifting your hips off the floor and bringing your knees towards your chest.

4. 04

   Hold briefly at the peak of the contraction, focusing on squeezing your lower abs.

5. 05

   Inhale slowly as you lower your hips and legs back to the starting position with control, preventing your feet from touching the floor.

Tips

• Focus on pelvic tilt: Initiate the movement by tilting your pelvis upward, rather than just swinging your legs, to maximize rectus abdominis engagement.
• Control the eccentric phase: Slowly lower your hips and legs back down, resisting gravity to increase time under tension and enhance core stability.
• Keep lower back pressed: Maintain a slight posterior pelvic tilt throughout the movement to keep your lower back flat against the floor and prevent arching.
• Synchronize breathing: Exhale forcefully as you lift your hips and inhale as you slowly lower them, synchronizing breath with movement to enhance core activation.

Common mistakes

• Using momentum: Avoid swinging your legs up quickly; instead, perform the movement slowly and with control, engaging your abdominal muscles deliberately.
• Arching the lower back: Do not let your lower back arch off the floor during the lowering phase; keep it pressed down by engaging your core throughout the entire movement.
• Not lifting hips high enough: Ensure you are actively lifting your hips off the floor and not just bringing your knees towards your chest to fully engage the rectus abdominis.