Crunch - Hands Overhead

How to perform

1. 01Lie on the floor with your back flat and knees bent with around a 60-degree angle between the hamstrings and the calves.
2. 02Keep your feet flat on the floor and stretch your arms overhead with your palms crossed. This will be your starting position.
3. 03Curl your upper body forward and bring your shoulder blades just off the floor. At all times, keep your arms aligned with your head, neck and shoulder. Don't move them forward from that position. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement and hold the contraction for a second.
4. 04Slowly lower down to the starting position as you inhale.
5. 05Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Form cues

• —Lead with the elbows and finish by squeezing the target muscle.
• —Control the lowering phase — that is where most of the growth stimulus lives.

Common mistakes

• —Using momentum instead of the target muscle.
• —Cutting the range of motion short to add load.