If you want to flatten your stomach, crunches are only part of the solution. You also must reduce your caloric intake, eat healthy foods and perform cardiovascular exercise to promote weight loss. The crunches can put the final touches on your abdomen and give it a lean, defined look. That being said, perform any of the following crunch variations as you try tone your midsection.
Reverse Crunches
Reverse crunches work the lower part of the abdomen and they are done with a pull-up bar, exercise ball or on the floor. To use a pull-up bar, move your knees up to your chest and lower them back down as you hang from the bar. To use an exercise ball, lie on your back with the ball pinched between your heels and butt and your arms at your sides. Slowly lift the ball, pull your knees into your chest, then lower it back down. To do reverse crunches with your body, lie face-up on the floor with your legs elevated, knees bent 90 degrees and shins level to the floor. Slowly move your knees to your chest and then back out.
With every one of these crunch exercises, squeeze your abs forcefully and hold for a full second at the midpoint.
Pullover Crunches
When it comes to pullover crunches, you have two options--arm pullover straight leg crunches and medicine ball pullover crunches. Arm pullover straight leg crunches are performed with dumbbells and they work the upper and lower abs. Medicine ball pullovers mainly target the upper abs. To do the former, lie on your back with your legs lifted at a slight angle, arms extended behind your head at a slight angle and dumbbells held with your palms facing each other. Steadily lift your arms, shoulders and legs simultaneously and move the dumbbells over the top of your body. Once your arms parallel your legs, squeeze your abs forcefully, lower yourself back down and repeat.
Perform medicine ball pullover crunches the same way, except place your feet on the floor with your knees bent and move the ball above your knees when you rise up.
Cable Crunches
Cable crunches are for the upper abs and they are done with a cable machine. After attaching a rope to a high pulley setting, grab the ends of the rope in your hands, kneel in front of the weight stack and hold your hands by your ears. Once in this position, move your upper body downward and squeeze your abs forcefully. Slowly rise back up and repeat. By biasing your direction to your right and left side when you perform the crunch, you will target your obliques, which are on the sides of the stomach.
Push Crunches
Push crunches work your upper and lower abs, and they are done with dumbbells or a barbell and a slant board or decline bench. While lying face-up on the board with your lower legs hooked in the padded supports, hold the weights directly above you, lift your shoulders up and squeeze your abs forcefully. Slowly lower yourself down and repeat. When lifting yourself up, push the weights straight into the air.
Side Crunches
Side crunches work the obliques, and you can do these on the floor or on a stability ball. To do them on the floor, lie on your back with your legs resting on the floor to your left side and your hands on the sides of your head. Lift your shoulders up, squeeze your obliques forcefully and lower yourself back down. After doing a set of reps, switch sides.
If you use a ball to do side crunches, brace your feet against a wall, place one hip on the ball and place your hands on the sides of your head. Bend laterally over the ball and back up by contracting your obliques. After doing a set of reps, switch sides.
Bicycle Crunches
Bicycle crunches tone the upper and lower abs and obliques in one repetitive motion. While lying on your back, lift your legs, parallel your shins to the floor and bend your knees 90 degrees. After placing your hands by your ears, lift your shoulders up and move your opposite elbow and knee toward each other while extending one leg out. Shift directions quickly and continue to move back and forth in a cycling motion.
To challenge yourself, perform these on a Bosu balance trainer. The Bosu is a tool that looks like an exercise ball that has been cut in half. Perform bicycle crunches with the dome side up.
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