Weighted Crunch

Setup

1. 01Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. 02Hold a plate or dumbbell against your chest, or extended above the chest for more load.
3. 03Press the lower back lightly into the floor.
4. 04Tuck the chin slightly so the neck stays neutral.

Execution

1. 01Exhale and curl the ribs toward the pelvis, lifting the shoulder blades off the floor.
2. 02Keep the lower back in contact with the ground throughout.
3. 03Pause at peak contraction for a count.
4. 04Lower the shoulders back down under control without fully relaxing.

Checkpoints

• -Only the shoulder blades leave the floor; this is a crunch, not a sit-up.
• -The weight stays fixed against the chest or vertically over it.
• -Movement comes from spinal flexion, not neck or arm pull.
• -Tension stays on the abs at the bottom of each rep.

Common mistakes

• -Yanking the head forward with the hands or the weight.
• -Using so much load that range of motion shrinks to a shrug.
• -Letting the lower back arch off the floor at the bottom.
• -Rushing reps and losing the peak contraction.