![]() Place your right forearm or hand on the floor in front of you and lift your hips off the ground.Lie on your left side with your feet stacked or with one foot in front of the other.Variations of this exercise include placing your bottom knee on the floor, lifting your top leg, and lowering your hips to the floor and back up again. These options may be more gentle on your low back or simply feel better for your body. Here are some exercises you can do in place of, or in addition to, the Russian twist. Do 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 16 repetitions.Īre there other exercises that work these same muscles? Use your abdominals to twist to the right, then back to center, and then to the left.Reach your arms straight out in front, interlacing your fingers or clasping your hands together.Elongate and straighten your spine at a 45-degree angle from the floor, creating a V shape with your torso and thighs.Root into your sit bones as you lift your feet from the floor, keeping your knees bent.Allow your gaze to follow the movement of your hands.Maintain a straight spine, and avoid slouching or rounding your spine.For more stability, cross your lower legs.Engage your abdominal and back muscles throughout the exercise.As you twist, keep your arms parallel to the floor or reach down to tap the floor beside you.Exhale with each twist, and inhale to return to the center. For beginners, press your feet into the floor or extend them straight out as you get a feel for the movement.Here are a few pointers to keep in mind as you get started: Strong abs can also help improve your posture, balance, and flexibility.įor more, check out how I did reverse crunches every day for a week.The Russian twist is thought to be named after one of the exercises developed for Soviet soldiers during the Cold War, though its popularity today makes it a universal exercise. Reverse crunches are gentler on the neck and spine than ab exercises like bicycle crunches or traditional crunches, so if you’ve ever experienced neck pain during an ab workout, these are a good alternative.īuilding a strong core isn’t just an aesthetic goal - it can help you run faster, lift heavier, and reduce strain on your back. If you find you drop your hips or arch your back, stop, and return to reverse crunches until you have built up more core strength. Point your toes, and slowly lower your legs back down to the bench. To do a dragonfly, get into the reverse crunch position, but keep your legs straight and avoid bending at the hips. Of course, you can also follow in JLo's footsteps and extend your reverse crunch into a dragonfly ab exercise. You can also try putting a medicine ball between your knees and squeezing the ball during the crunch. Alternatively, at the top of the crunch, try rotating to one side, twisting the legs, then alternate from side to side. That said, if you’re really looking for a challenge, try straightening the legs during a reverse crunch. Reverse crunches aren’t the easiest ab exercise, so it’s easy to make them more challenging by increasing the number of repetitions you do. ![]() How can you make a reverse crunch more challenging? It’s also using just your bodyweight, so you don’t need any additional equipment. The reverse crunch works the rectus abdominis and the transverse abdominis - in other words the inner core muscles, and the outer, six-pack muscles on the torso. (Image credit: Shutterstock) What muscles are worked during a reverse crunch? Be careful to slowly lower back down too, and avoid collapsing back onto the mat. It’s also important to only lift your hips and bottom from the mat - if you’re getting your entire lower back off the mat, you’re going too far. If you struggle to get your hips up off the mat, try strengthening your abs using other ab exercises. It’s tempting to rock back and forth, using momentum to raise the legs, but this won’t work the abs. Make sure you keep the entire movement slow and controlled. ![]() As you exhale, lower your hips back to the mat. Your head and neck should stay imprinted on the mat. Pause at the top of the movement, using your core to keep your hips raised off the mat. Keeping your knees bent, inhale, and raise your legs, hips, and bottom off the mat. Bend you legs at the knee, pressing your feet into the mat, and engage your core, thinking about sucking your belly button into your spine. To do a reverse crunch, start by lying on your back, with your lower back, head, and neck pressed into the floor. ![]()
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