Core Movement: Crunches Video

When toning the ab muscles, crunches can be a great intensive exercise. Learn how to perform core movement crunches properly from a certified trainer in this workout video.

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Lay back on mat
Keep knees bent
Lift halfway
Squeeze abs

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Keith Irace has been a certified trainer for 16 years. He is currently the regional group fitness manager for Equinox Fitness Clubs in southern California and a trainer for iTRAIN.com is your own "Hollywood personal trainer right in your pocket." Each audio and video workout consists of an elite Hollywood Trainer or World Champion Athlete mixed with original music to satisfy your workout needs. iTRAIN provides more than 275 workouts in its library ranging from treadmill to elliptical, cycling, strength training, and many more.

Hey everybody. I'm Keith Irace and welcome to Core Movement. Today's move is a crunch with a leg extension. So we're going to get you, first things first, on your back. So let's just lay back onto your mat or your floor. Your knees are bent at about a 45-degree angle, and you lay back onto the floor, hands are really light behind your head. We're going to just start really simple with a basic crunch. We go lift and down, lift and down. So it's really important to breathe through this movement, and I want you to exhale on the way up. As you lift into that crunch, consciously drive your bellybutton towards the floor. So think about it. Squeeze down, as if I were standing above. You just gently, ever so, gently pushing down on your belly as you lift. We go lift and down. So let's get in six more here, real simple, just six and down. Light touch on the back of your head, four, and three, and two. Now you can start with either leg, it does not matter. One leg comes up and extends straight out of the opposite knee. We do eight here, and seven, and six, good. So we stabilize the move a little bit, five, and four. You should be getting a minimum of your shoulder blades off the mat. Two, and one. Switch the leg. Here we go, eight and seven. Let me see some energy in that leg. Six, shoulder blades lift, belly button presses down, last four, and three, and two, and one. Now alternate the leg, one leg and then the opposite. Here we go. Lift and down, lift and down, lift and down, good. Let's finish this up. We have six more to go. Expand your range of motion on these last few chances. Last four, here's four, really lift it up there, three, and two, and one. Beautiful work. I want you to reach it out really long on your mat. Stretch yourself out from finger to toe. Sweep those knees into the chest. Thank you for joining me today for Core Movement. That was the crunch with a leg extension. I'm Keith Irace. I'll see you at the gym.

Core Movement: Crunches Video

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