How to do incline crunches. Reverse incline crunches Partial incline crunches
Crunches on incline bench– one of the most popular exercises for training the abdominal muscles. In particular, during movement, it is the rectus abdominis muscle that is maximally loaded.
The exercise is mainly formative, but the use extra weight and a special training regime in it allows you to work on the strength of the target muscles.
Initial position:
- Sit on the edge of the bench, head down, with your shins behind the soft bolsters.
- Cross your arms over your chest or place them at your temples.
- Round your back while squeezing your abdominal muscles.
- Inhale and lean back until your body is approximately horizontal, without straightening your back.
Movement:
- Without a pause, with isolated force of the abdominal muscles, perform a twist, bringing your shoulders to the pelvis. In this case, the upper part of the body should be approximately parallel to the thigh.
- At the highest point, exhale forcefully and further tighten your abdominal muscles. Maintain this tension for 2 seconds.
- Proceed with the next repetition.
Attention!
Recommendations!
Execution options!
Video of Incline Crunches
Video 11 variations of crunches on an incline gymnastic bench
Analysis of the exercise
Anatomy of exercise - which muscles work
Advantages
Flaws
Preparation for execution
Before performing the exercise, adjust the position of the bench - set the optimal angle of inclination of the support for yourself (within 20-50°). Be sure to make sure that the structure is sufficiently stable - the bench should not sway.
As a warm-up before abdominal training, it is enough to perform classical gymnastics with elements of stretching and bending.
Proper execution
Inclusion in the program
Performing crunches on a bench can be effectively combined with other exercises for the abdominal muscles, such as hanging or standing leg raises, as well as diagonal crunches. Combining these exercises allows you to evenly load different areas abdominals.
It is recommended to perform abdominal crunches on a bench in a mode of 15-20 repetitions in 3-4 approaches. When using additional weights, the number of repetitions can be reduced to 6-10. Start using a load when traditional methods of intensifying the exercise no longer give the expected effect.
In this article we will talk about exercises with a press bench.
What muscles are trained on the press bench?
First we need to understand which muscles will be involved in abdominal bench workouts. Below are 2 pictures that clearly show and label the working muscles of the abdominals and legs:
A variety of exercises on the abdominal bench allows you to work out different abdominal muscles. Moreover, the technique for performing these exercises is in many ways similar to the technique for performing abdominal exercises on the floor. You can do it like own weight, and with additional burden - . There are a number general rules execution for all of them.
Exercises on a bench for the press. Types, technology.
General rules for correctly performing exercises with an abdominal bench:
- The abdominal muscles are always tense.
- Flexion as you exhale, extension as you inhale.
- The neck continues the line of the spine; do not press the chin to the chest.
- Do the exercises slowly.
- To increase the load, increase the angle of the bench, add additional burden in the form of weights, plates, dumbbells, etc.
What not to do:
- Perform jerk exercises. Lift your pelvis off the bench (reducing the effectiveness of repetitions).
- Perform bending with a straight back (the load is transferred to the legs and lower back).
- Pull yourself with your hands behind your head.
- Lateral raises (increased obliques = increased waist)
- At the top point, with the torso fully bent, do not lie on your feet (the abdominal muscles relax).
- Try to burn belly fat with these exercises (the muscles will become stronger, but the fat will remain. To burn fat you need proper nutrition, running and other exercises).
Most abdominal exercises use the same starting position:
- We lie with our backs on the bench, the lower back is pressed tightly against the bench;
- The legs are bent at the knees, the feet are placed behind the support;
- Elbows to the sides, hands behind the head (do not clasp, do not pull the head forward) or in front of the chest.
1. Raising the torso on an inclined bench.
Muscles trained:
Technique: The exercise consists of raising the entire body as far as it will go. Take your starting position. We lift the shoulders off the bench, then the back until the torso and legs are at right angles to each other. We fix the body in this position for a few seconds, make a final exhalation and, slowly, return to the starting position while inhaling. Concentrate and try to use your legs as little as possible. Options:
Raising the body on an inclined bench with a reduced amplitude.
Muscles trained: upper abdominals.
Technique: We take the starting position. We lift the body, but do not return to the starting position, do not lie down completely on the bench. The abdominal muscles are always tense, there is minimal risk of overloading the lumbar region. This circuit is suitable for beginners if the muscles are not strong enough for full-length repetitions.
Body lifts with rotation.
Muscles trained: obliques and upper abdominals.
Technique: From the starting position, using the force of the abdominal muscles, we lift the shoulders off the bench and lift the body in the direction of the legs, slightly turning it to the right (left). Don't try to touch your thighs, because... in this position, the abdominal muscles will relax - efficiency will decrease. Operation is possible according to the following patterns: left-straight-right, left-straight-right-straight-left, left-right.
2. Twisting.
Muscles trained: rectus abdominis muscles.
Technique: We take the starting position. We raise top part bodies, then lower. The lower back and pelvis are not involved in the exercise. Options:
Twisting with rotation.
Muscles trained: oblique abdominal muscles and the upper part of the rectus abdominis muscle.
Technique: from the starting position, lift your torso while simultaneously slightly turning your body to the side (raising one of your elbows up and pulling it towards the opposite knee). As in the case of lifting the body, work is possible according to the following patterns: left-straight-right, left-straight-right-straight-left, left-right.
3. Bicycle.
Muscles trained: lower press
Technique: We lie down on the bench with our backs and grab the footrest with our hands. Raise your straight legs perpendicular to the bench and “pedal.”
4. Leg raises.
Muscles trained: lower press
Technique: We lie down with our backs on the bench, head up, lower back and pelvis tightly pressed to the bench. We secure our arms above our heads (holding the edge of the bench, footrest, etc.). We raise our legs until the pelvis begins to lift off the bench. Then they are smoothly lowered and raised again. After completing one approach, you can continue doing the exercise by turning over on your stomach. Options:
- straight leg lift;
- raising your legs with your knees bent.
Exercises on a bench for the press. Photo.
Some of the exercises described above are depicted in the picture below:
Exercises on a bench for the press. Video.
These videos show exercise technique on the abdominal bench and Roman chair, as well as the main errors when performing them:
Incline crunches are one of the most effective exercises for pumping up your abs. It forces the rectus abdominis, external and internal oblique abdominal muscles to work simultaneously. We will discuss in this article how to perform it correctly and what mistakes should be avoided.
Kinds
Let's look at the technique of the exercise; the exercise is considered not dangerous, but for it to be effective, the technique must be perfect.
Classic
Lie down on an incline bench with your legs firmly and comfortably secured. Place your hands behind your head, elbows pointing inward; if curling your hands is uncomfortable, you can use a towel. Watch your neck; there should be no stress on it from your hands. Press your lower back tightly against the bench to isolate your abdominal muscles. This is the starting position.
As you exhale, begin twisting while lifting your shoulders off the bench, while pressing your lower back into the bench as hard as possible.
Make sure your shoulders rise no more than 15 centimeters from the bench. At the end of the movement, tighten your abdominal muscles as much as possible and return to the starting position.
The legs can be kept straight or bent. Make sure that there is no traumatic stress on the lower spine and rectus back muscles. You can also use various weights to complicate the training process and increase the load on the abdominal muscles.
What muscles are involved?
Our abdominal region consists of 3 types of main muscles. This serratus muscles abdomen, external obliques and rectus abdominis. Remember, there are no separate top and lower cubes The press is all one muscle, and the desired cubes are its surface and a sign of good training, they are visible with a low percentage of fat and good physical shape.
Also, during crunches, the lower back muscles work in a static mode; some call them the lumbar columns; they fix our lower back on the bench.
Oblique crunches
There is also a variant of oblique crunches, which allows you to effectively work out the serratus abdominal muscles and oblique abdominal muscles. The exercise technique and its complexity are suitable for all types of fitness, whether beginners or professionals.
Lie down on an incline bench with your feet firmly and securely in the supports. Place one hand on the back of your head, the other on your thigh. This is the starting position. Begin twisting your upper body, working your way up and to the side, twisting your torso until your elbow touches your opposite knee. Slowly return to the starting position. Perform the exercise the required number of times.
While performing the exercise, do not hold your breath, and perform all movements slowly, keeping your abdominal muscles tense. It is important to feel the load.
Common mistakes
At first glance, crunching on an incline bench is an elementary exercise, but even with it you can make many mistakes that can harm your health and worsen the quality of the training process.
First mistake
This is a clasp of hands behind the head. Why is this dangerous, you think? It's all about the biomechanical processes of our body. When performing crunches, we tense the right part of the body, thereby involuntarily giving force impulses to the arms, while the arms will try to push us upward.
The neck will take an unnatural position and due to this you can get injuries such as a pinched nerve, injury to the cervical vertebrae, or curvature of the upper spine. These are the most common injuries.
Second
While performing crunches, you may be familiar with it from your school desk, or rather, from physical education lessons. This is to lift your lower back off while performing an exercise. We're all used to doing abs on the beam, using the full range of our body, thereby providing excellent abs, but recent studies have shown that basic sit-ups can be detrimental to our spine.
The thing is that due to body weight, an unwanted load occurs on spinal column, and with frequent performance of this exercise, a deterioration in the condition of the subjects was noticed. Therefore, twisting has been proposed as a worthy alternative that has positive qualities and does not affect the spine.
Also, you should not allow sudden jerks in movements, strongly twist your body to the sides, or perform exercises while slouching.
Third
A mistake that can cause damage training process, is not correct breathing. Holding your breath causes a lack of oxygen in our body. During exercise, our muscles use oxygen as one of the types of fuel, so we need to breathe while twisting, inhale, while returning to the starting position, exhale.
Proper breathing also normalizes arterial pressure. Because when doing crunches on an incline bench, our heart has to pump blood up and down. Therefore, due to improper breathing and its delay, you may begin to feel dizzy, have attacks of nausea, increased blood pressure and other negative consequences.
Making classes more difficult
Complications are often used in athletic gymnastics, cross-fit and fitness. An exercise such as incline crunches can be made more difficult as the abdominal muscles adapt to the load over time. Therefore, you can train your abs every other day, and as a complication, use adding weight and changing the angle of the bench.
To select weights, use any objects that can be held in your hands; this could be a barbell or a medicine ball, or a stack of books if training takes place at home.
How to choose the optimal weight. The weight of the weight can be selected using a simple test; you need to do 20-30 crunches with weights; if you do not feel a burning sensation in the muscles, then you can add weight.
The angle of inclination can make it more difficult to perform crunches by increasing the amplitude; the lower your starting position, the more difficult the repetitions are for you.
Professionals use a wide angle and well-chosen weights.
- If you have a hard time doing crunches, bend your knees slightly, this will help you reduce the static load on the press
- If you want to give static tension, then keep your legs straight.
- Also to give static voltage on the abdominal muscles, you can raise and hold your arms above your head, thereby you will stretch the muscles well and they will be tense.
Reverse crunches
Reverse crunches or incline leg raises. Universal exercise to work the lower part of the rectus abdominal muscle. It also has a beneficial effect on the lumbar region.
Exercise technique
You need to lie on an inclined bench, feet down. Hold the bench tightly with your hands and try not to slide down the bench. Keep your abdominal muscles tense. Raise your legs and bend your knees slightly. This is the starting position.
Trying to touch your knees to your chest, lift your legs, lifting your pelvis off the bench. Hold the position for 2 seconds and return to the starting position. Beginners can do this exercise on a straight bench. To complicate matters, you can use .
Today we will look at two very similar and very effective exercises on the press - lifting and twisting on an inclined bench or Roman chair. There are a lot of variations of these exercise machines, but our task will be to analyze the features and technique of the movement itself, so that being in any gym with any equipment, you can train your abdominal muscles one hundred percent!
Crunches or sit-ups?
First of all, it’s worth understanding how crunches on a bench differ from sit-ups. When twisting, only your shoulder blades come off the bench, movements in hip joint not happening. The lower back remains motionless.
When lifting the body, not only flexion of the spine occurs, but also movement in the hip joint.
Twisting is recommended for beginners, as the load on the lower back when performing them is minimal. However, the load on the abdominal muscles during twisting is also less than in the case. Lift-ups require better control of the lower back and are recommended for people with developed abdominal muscles.
What exactly you should do, crunches or sit-ups, depends on your physical training. There is only one condition - you should feel your abs, not your back.
The benefits of abdominal exercises
Abdominal exercises performed on a Roman chair or an incline bench engage the entire abdominal muscle complex. These are primarily the rectus muscles (they form the desired cubes), the external and internal oblique muscles (form the line of the sides, turn the body from side to side), transverse muscles abdomen (supports internal organs, making the stomach flat).
Incline crunches work the upper rectus muscles to the greatest extent, while sit-ups distribute the load more evenly. If you perform an exercise with body turns to the right and left, you add work to the oblique abdominal muscles, thereby working them even more effectively. However, it is better for people with spinal problems to be careful with turns.
By the way, developed abdominal muscles, in accordance with the muscles of the lower back, stabilize the lower spine, which helps improve posture and prevent injuries.
Execution technique
Before we look at sit-ups and crunches on a Roman chair or bench, let’s look at several options for exercise machines that are found in gyms. This will allow you not to get confused when you see a “dissimilar” unit in your fitness club.
So, what is called an abdominal bench or Roman chair can be the following:
- An inclined bench with bolsters for supporting the legs and knees. The athlete lies on the bench with his back, bends his hips and knees. This position is reminiscent of the position when swinging the press on the floor (back straight, legs bent at the knees), only you are not lying horizontally, but upside down. This version of the simulator is considered optimal, since with this position of the hips (they are bent), the lower back is activated minimally.
- An incline bench with bolsters only to support the lower legs. The athlete lies on such a bench with his back, bends his knees and starts ankle joints for the rollers. The hips and back form one line. In this case, the load on the lower back is greater than in the previous one.
- A regular hyperextension machine, only the athlete turns 180 degrees in it, sitting on the pads with his hips. With this exercise, the backward movement of the body is not limited in any way, and, say, a beginner is not always able to control the work of the muscles and strictly follow the technique. Not a recommended option due to its increased risk of injury.
Regardless of which machine you perform the exercise on, the movement technique should be as follows:
- Take your starting position on the bench. Your legs should be locked and your abdominal muscles tense. Abdominal relaxation does not occur throughout the entire exercise. The lower back should be as straight as possible, that is, actually pressed against the bench in initial position. Further, if you do crunches, the lower back remains as pressed as possible. If you perform lifts, the lower back comes off the bench, but the deflection is lumbar region it does not appear. When performing the exercise on a machine with two rollers (for the shins and knees), it is quite easy to follow this rule, since the hips are bent. In the case of a bench with support only for the legs, keeping the lower back close to the bench will interfere with the buttocks. Therefore, when performing the exercise, you do not lower your back completely onto the bench. That is, the spine is always slightly rounded. If you pump your abs on a hyperextension machine, there is no support for your lower back at all; the position of your body is controlled solely by the strength of your muscles.
- You can cross your arms over your chest or put them behind your head (it’s harder to do this).
- As you exhale, lift your body. When performing crunches, only the shoulder blades come off the bench. When doing lifts, raise your entire body 30-60 degrees above parallel with the floor. Simply put - about half as low as before vertical position torso.
- Slowly and under control, without relaxing your abs or arching your back, return to the starting position.
Perform the exercise 20–30 times in 3–4 approaches. The last repetitions should be as hard as possible for you. However, do not allow your muscles to become so tired that you break your technique.
When performing body lifts, avoid jerking. A slow pace, on the one hand, will make abdominal training more effective, and on the other hand, it will help you better control the movements, making the exercise safe for your back. For twists this is not so important.
A few months of regular abdominal workouts will help you make your stomach firm and your sides toned. It is also worth saying that in order to see the drawn relief (the treasured cubes and lines on the sides of the abdomen), the thickness of the fat layer on the abdomen should be minimal.
