Crunches


CRUNCHES, the tummy flattener that WON’T cause stress on the lower back and WILL reach that lower abdominal area.
Lie flat on your back on the floor. Bend your knees and place your feet about shoulder width apart. Place your hands behind your head (this is because it is a good place to put them, NOT to pull on your neck) and keep your elbows pointing straight out from the side of your head. Place your eyes on the ceiling and KEEP THEM THERE throughout the entire movement. Be CERTAIN to keep the small of your back pressed FIRMLY flat on the floor during the entire movement.
The movement of the "crunch" consists of simply raising your shoulder blades off the floor and lowering yourself back down, concentrating on the lower abdominal muscles doing the work. That is ONE REPETITION of the movement. I recommend a minimum of 50 crunches on a daily basis. Quality is more important than quantity on this one! (Do these slowly, and concentrate on the contraction of the muscles.)
After you have mastered the CRUNCH, try this variation. Instead of doing a series of many crunches, change your strategy. Three sets of 12 repetitions for this one.
Begin in the same position as before. This time, SLOWLY, raise your shoulders off the floor on a count of three, hold that position for a count of three, then SLOWLY lower your shoulders on a count of three. Continue this for 12 repetitions without resting between crunches. Rest 30 seconds and do another set. Then, rest another 30 seconds and do a third set. On alternate days, do your high repetitions.
Once you have tried this workout on a serious basis and seen an improvement in your physique, please drop me an e-mail and let me know how it is going! Also, if you have any questions about physical fitness, send me e-mail. You can send me a message from any page of this site by clicking the mailbox icon at the bottom of each page.
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