Basic Crunch (Training with Your Own Body Weight)

The most basic abdominal exercises today are Crunches. Together with proper eating habits, Crunches can really make your abdominal muscles toned and firm. Strong stomach muscles can help a lot in preventing back-related problems and in improving your posture. Moreover, you will be able to get rid of flabs and unwanted fat, making you look good and feel good about yourself.

There are several exercises that target the abdominal muscles. In this section, learn how to do the Basic Crunch:

	STEP 1: Lie on your back (on the mat or on the floor) and bend your knees with feet flat on the floor. Place your hands by your ears.
	STEP 2: Keeping your lower back on the floor, curl your shoulders forward by slowly lifting your head, shoulders, and upper back. Breathe out as you lift and breathe in as you lower down to tense the abdominals. To keep your head in line with your spine, maintain a space the size of your closed fist under your chin. Hold each repetition for 4-5 seconds.

Don’t forget to suck in your gut so that your lower back presses against the mat or floor. Work through the entire exercise slowly and steadily, without heaving yourself up or flopping down.

Whether you prefer working with Free Weights, Weights on Gym Machines or just with Your own Body Weight, the important thing to do is to start realistically and keep at it - at all costs.

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