Weighted Crunches

How to perform

1. 01Lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground or resting on a bench with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle.
2. 02Hold a weight to your chest, or you may hold it extended above your torso. This will be your starting position.
3. 03Now, exhale and slowly begin to roll your shoulders off the floor. Your shoulders should come up off the floor about 4 inches while your lower back remains on the floor.
4. 04At the top of the movement, flex your abdominals and hold for a brief pause.
5. 05Then inhale and slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position.

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.