Weighted Crunch

Weighted Crunch Instructions

• Lie back on the floor with your legs extended
• Hold a medicine ball with your arms are extended upward, perpendicular to the floor.
• Your low back is pinned to the floor.
• Take a deep breath out and imagine your abdominals curling your torso slightly off the ground.
• You don't want a rigid, strict torso position. Your back should not be arched during the execution of the exercise. 
• From an anatomy and biomechanics perspective, the rectus abdominus flexes the trunk.
• You cannot flex a muscle if it is tense.
• Negate the urge to generate momentum upward using the weight. Your arms are merely a lever for your core.
• At the top, your upper back is off the floor. Your neck is in a neutral position.
• Take a breath out and uncurl from the top back to the starting position. 

*Tips*

• Keep your legs passive throughout the movement. Using your lower half with activate your hip flexors which will negate your abdominal musculature. 
• At first, your legs will want to elevate or "spray" out. Through practice and greater core stability, you will be able to execute the crunch without much hip flexor involvement.