1. Crunching in the lying position
The exercise predominantly develops your abdominal rectus muscle. Equivalent exercises are ball crunches, bosu crunches etc.
Adjust the slope angle of the bench (above the horizontal line to facilitate performing the exercise and below the horizontal line for added complexity. Lie on a bench (on the floor) so that your hips are perpendicular to the floor. Try to avoid retaining your feet set, avoid involvement of your hip flexors. Stress your abdominal press muscles and lift your blades from the bench (from the floor). This is the original position. Smoothly crunch forward, trying to lift your body up as much as possible, but not lifting the hips, until full traction of your muscles. Adjust your load with your arm position (arms down – light load, arms forward – mid. load, arms up – heavy load). Avoid jerking, rotating your head, touching the bench (or floor) with your blades and relaxing your muscles in the lowest point of movement. Do not pull your head with your hands.
This exercise may be performed with your trunk curl.
2. Ball crunching
The exercise predominantly develops your abdominal rectus muscle. Equivalent exercises are crunching in the lying position, bosu crunching etc.
Lie on the ball so that the center of the ball is under the lumbar spine. Set your hips to the angle of 90° to ensure stability. Your shanks should be perpendicular to the floor. Try to avoid retaining your feet set, to avoid involvement of your hip flexors. Carefully lower your chest, stretching your abdominal muscles as much as you can. This is the original position. Smoothly crunch forward and down trying to draw your chest as near to the hips as possible until full traction of your muscles. At the same time with crunching roll your hips up over the ball to increase the load at the top point of the trajectory. Adjust the load with your arm position (arms down – light load, arms forward – mid. load, arms up – heavy load). Avoid jerking, rotating your head, sideways movement with your hips, lifting your legs from the floor. Do not pull your head with your hands.
This exercise may be performed with your trunk curl.
3. Bosu crunches
The exercise predominantly develops your abdominal rectus muscle. Equivalent exercises are crunching in a lying position, ball crunching etc.
Lie on the bosu so that the center of the ball is under the lumbar spine. Set your hips to the angle of 90° to ensure stability. Your shanks should be perpendicular to the floor. Try to avoid additional retaining of your feet, avoid involvement of your hip flexors. Carefully lower your chest and hips, stretching your abdominal muscles as much as you can. This is the original position. Crunch smoothly trying to draw your chest as close as possible to your hips, while lifting one towards the other, until full traction of your muscles. Adjust the load with your arm position (arms down – light load, arms forward – mid. load, arms up – heavy load) and with the position of the center of mass of the torso relative to the machine. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, sideways movement with your hips, lifting your legs from the floor. Do not pull your head with your hands.
This exercise may be performed with your trunk curl.
4. Crunching on a machine
The exercise predominantly develops your abdominal rectus muscle. Equivalent exercises are crunching with an upper block, etc.
Choose a suitable weight. Set the seat so that the axis of lever rotation is next to the mid-lumbar spine. Put your hands on the machine support or take the handles (if the machine is fitted with it) and place your feet at the low foot support. Smoothly pull the handles forward and down, trying to draw your chest as close as possible to your hips, until full traction of your muscles. If possible, try to exclude the effects of hip flexors and lats. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, sideways movement with your hips.
5. Hanging leg raises
This is a complex exercise actively developing your flexors, abdominal rectus muscle, and oblique abdominal muscles, lats. Equivalent exercises are leg raises from the elbow planche, from the lying position, on a bench etc.
Take the bar or handles of the machine with straight, neutral (parallel) or reverse grip (not wider than the shoulder-width) (using head harness is allowed). Hang, fully stretching your muscles. Smoothly lift your legs up to the vertical position. Try to minimize the involvement of hip flexors and lats. Regulate your load by bending your legs at the knee joints. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, sideways movement with your hips.
6. Leg raise from the elbow planche
This is a complex exercise actively developing your hip flexors, abdominal rectus muscle, and oblique abdominal muscles. Equivalent exercises are leg raising while hanging, lying on an inclined bench etc.
Step up on the machine. Lean your elbows on the supports so that your shoulder bones are perpendicular to the floor. Hang, fully stretching your muscles. Smoothly lift your legs up until full traction of your muscles. If possible, try to avoid the effect of hip flexors (raising both the legs and the hips). Regulate your load by bending your legs at the knee joints. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, sideways movement with your hips.
7. Raising legs on an inclined bench
This is a complex exercise actively developing your hip flexors, abdominal rectus muscle, and oblique abdominal muscles. Equivalent exercises are leg raising while hanging, lying on an inclined bench etc.
Adjust the slope angle of the bench (the higher the angle – the more difficult it will be to do the exercise). Lie on the bench with your head up. Grip the handles with your hands or bending arms in the elbow clasp your hands below the bench. Pull your legs together and slightly bend them in the knee joints. Lift your legs from the floor for a couple of centimeters. This is the original position. Smoothly lift your legs up until full traction of your muscles. If possible, try to avoid the effect of hip flexors (raising both the legs and the hips). Do not let your muscles relax at the upper point of your motion. Regulate your load by bending your legs at the knee joints. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, sideways movement with your hips.
8. Crunching with an upper block
The exercise predominantly develops your abdominal rectus muscle. Equivalent exercises are crunching on a machine, etc.
Choose a suitable weight. Take the handles of the machine with straight, neutral (parallel) or reverse grip (not wider than the shoulder-width) (using head harness is allowed). Pull the handles down to your head or to your upper back behind the head. Stand with your face or back to the block, sit down or stand on your knees. Smoothly pull the handles forward and down, trying to draw your chest as close as possible to your hips, until full traction of your muscles. If possible, try to exclude the effects of hip flexors and lats. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, sideways movement with your hips.
This exercise may be performed with your trunk curl.
9. Counter crunching
This is a complex exercise actively developing your hip flexors, abdominal rectus muscle, and oblique abdominal muscles. Equivalent exercises are crunching from the lying position, on the ball, cross-crunching etc.
Lay on the floor or sit on a bench (along or across). Pull your legs together and slightly bend them in the knee joints. Stress your abdominal muscles and lift your blades and legs from the bench (or floor). This is the original position. Smoothly crunch trying to draw your chest as close as possible to your hips, while lifting one towards the other, until full traction of your abdominal muscles. Adjust the load with your arm position (arms down – light load, arms forward – mid. load, arms up – heavy load) and with bending your knees in the knee joints. Try to avoid the hip flexor involvement. Avoid jerking, rotating your head.
10. Cross crunching (bicycle)
This is a complex exercise actively developing your hip flexors, abdominal rectus muscle and oblique abdominal muscles. Equivalent exercises are crunching with a twist, ball crunching, cross -crunching etc.
Lie on the bench (or on the floor) so that your hips are perpendicular to the floor, and your shanks are parallel to the floor. Bend your arms in the elbow joints. Press your fists against your temples. Stress your abdominal press muscles and lift your blades from the bench (from the floor). This is the original position. Alternating your legs in the air (like for bicycle ride) smoothly crunch trying to draw your chest as close as possible to your hips, while twisting your trunk, trying to reach the left hip with the right shoulder (and vice versa) until full traction of your abdominal muscles. Adjust the load with your arm position (arms down – light load, arms forward – mid. load, arms up – heavy load) and with bending your knees in the knee joints. Do not let your muscles relax at the lower point of your motion. Do not pull your head with your hands. Avoid jerking, rotating your head.
11. Lateral tilts
The exercise predominantly develops your oblique abdominal muscles. You can do this exercise from the standing, sitting or lying position, it has a lot of modifications. Let’s look at the most common variants: standing (а), lying (b).
а) Variant 1: Put your feet shoulder-width apart. Lift your arms up to the vertical position. Smoothly tilt to the side stretching your oblique abdominal muscles on the opposite side as much as you can. Then make the reverse motion, after crossing the vertical line, tilt to the other side, trying to draw your lower ribs as much as possible to your hips, until full traction of your muscles. Do not stop at the vertical position. Adjust the load with your arms position and additional weights. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, torso, moving your hips.
Variant 2: Choose a suitable weight. Take a dumbbell in your right arm and standing with your right side to the lower block, grip the machine handle. Put your feet shoulder-width apart. Tilt to the right side, stretching your oblique abdominal muscles on the opposite side as much as you can. Then make the reverse motion, after crossing the vertical line, tilt to the other side, trying to draw your lower ribs as much as possible to your hips, until full traction of your muscles. Do not stop at the vertical position. Having made the required number of reps, change your hand. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, torso, moving your hips.
b) Lie sidewise on the bench, on the floor or on the ball, bosu or machine for back extension and fix your legs using a partner’s assistance or support. Bend your arms in the elbow joints. Press your fists against your temples. Stress your oblique muscles and lift your body from the bench (or floor). This is the original position. Smoothly crunch to your side and down trying to draw your lower ribs as much as possible to your hips, until full traction of your muscles. Do not let your muscles relax at the lower point of your motion. Do not pull your head with your hands. Adjust the load with your arms position and additional weights. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, torso, moving your hips.
12. Twisting sideways
The exercise predominantly develops your oblique abdominal muscles and has a lot of modifications. Let’s look at the most common variants:
Variant 1 (with a bar or a broom stick): Put your feet shoulder-width apart (or sit on a bench). Lift the bar up and carefully put it down on your upper back behind your head. Twist sideward smoothly until full traction of your muscles. Without stopping begin to twist in the backward direction. Adjust the load with additional weight if required. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, moving your hips. Do not bend or hyperextend your lumbar spine, try to hold your back straight.
Variant 2 (with block): Choose a suitable weight. Stand with your side to the crossover post (or to a similar device), having adjusted the roller at the height of your shoulders. Make a step sideways from the stand and one step behind. This is the original position. Take the handle of the machine with one or two hands. Put your feet shoulder-width apart. Smoothly twist your torso sideways, with your slightly bent arms in a horizontal plane, until full traction of your muscles. After the required number of reps, turn at 180° and repeat the exercise on the other side. Avoid jerking, rotating your head, moving your hips. Do not bend or hyperextend your lumbar spine, try to hold your back straight.
Variant 3 (on a machine): Choose a suitable weight. Adjust the height of the seat. Put your hands on the horns of the machine. Unblock the locker device. Turn your trunk with supports to any side, stretching your oblique muscles as much as possible, and fix the levers. Smoothly turn the opposite side until full traction of your muscles. After the required number of reps, deblock the locker device, turn to the opposite side and repeat the above steps. Avoid jerking, rotating your head. Do not bend or hyperextend your lumbar spine, try to hold your back straight.