It is more challenging to do ab exercises on an incline than it is to do ab exercises on a level surface. The incline places you at a disadvantage, making your abdominal muscles work harder to pull your upper torso off the bench. You can do standard crunches, twisting crunches or reverse crunches on an incline.
Incline Crunch
An incline board possesses ankle pads to secure your feet in place. If you are not using an incline board, have a spotter hold your feet down. Place your hands across your chest or behind your head, but do not pull on your head or neck as you crunch. Keep your neck in a neutral position, with a gap between your chest and chin. Lie back on the board. Exhale, crunch up and pull your shoulder blades and upper back off the board. Your lower back stays in contact with the board throughout the movement.
Incline Twisting Crunch
A twisting crunch targets your oblique muscles, or side abs, although your main ab muscle, --- the rectus abdominis --- is still involved in the movement. Initiate a twisting incline crunch in the same manner as a standard incline crunch. Once you begin crunching, point your shoulder toward the opposite knee and twist your torso. You can complete all of the repetitions on one side and then hit the other side or you can alternate sides. As with a regular incline crunch, keep your lower back in contact with the bench throughout the movement.
Incline Reverse Crunch
An incline reverse crunch works your abdominal muscles from a different angle --- you pull your legs toward your chest, instead of pulling your chest toward your legs. Lie on the incline so your feet are lower than your head. If you are on an incline board, grab the footpads above your head. If not, position yourself next to a pole or other secure object that you can hold. Keep your head and upper torso on the bench and pull your knees up toward your chest, pulling your hips off the incline. For the basic reverse crunch, keep your knees bent throughout the movement; for a more challenging exercise, keep your legs straight throughout the movement.
Intensity
You can adjust the intensity of an incline crunch by changing the incline or adding weight. Hold a dumbbell, medicine ball or other weight to increase the resistance of the exercise. Hold the weight over your chest for a standard or twisting crunch; hold the weight between your feet for a reverse incline crunch. Increase the incline to increase the difficulty of the exercise or decrease the incline to make the exercise easier.
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