Weighted crunches. Crunches on the press: how to do the exercise while lying on the floor

Do you want to pump cubes on your stomach? For this you will need effective exercise on the press and a suitable diet. Crunches are the most popular abdominal exercise.

It is simple yet very effective. With its help, you can both pump up cubes, tighten your stomach, speeding up fat burning. To execute it in classic version you don't need any additional equipment, or exercise equipment, or a lot of free space.

herniated intervertebral discs;
osteoporosis;
osteochondrosis;
heart problems;
respiratory problems.

What muscles work?

The exercise involves the entire press, but, above all, loads upper part belly. The main thing is to perform it in correct technique, otherwise the result can not be expected.

When performing twisting, the following are involved:

rectus abdominis muscle;
oblique abdominal muscles;
muscles of the middle and lower back.

Execution options

In the classical version, the exercise is performed lying on the floor on a gymnastic mat or on horizontal bench with legs bent at the knees. In addition to this method, there are many other options:

View	Short description
On incline bench	Allows you to work out well the lower zone of the rectus muscle. To do this, you must position yourself on the bench so that your head is below your legs. Also, with this method, it is more difficult to lift the body, which means that the muscles receive a greater load.
On fitball	It is performed in the same way as lying on the floor. In this case, the back lies on gymnastic balland your feet are on the floor. At the moment of lowering the body, you can stretch it well, thereby increasing the range of motion
With legs raised	It is performed lying on a horizontal plane similar to classical twists, the only difference is that the legs must be kept in weight during the entire approach. To do this, they must be bent 90 degrees at both the knees and hip jointsso that the thighs are ultimately positioned vertically, and the legs are horizontal
Weighted	Suitable for those who need a heavy load. A pancake from a barbell or a dumbbell of suitable weight is usually used as a load.
On vertical block	It is necessary to take the handle of the simulator, kneel down in front of it and begin bending and unbending the body. At the moment of maximum contraction of the abdominal muscles, the hands should be at the back of the head, when the body is extended, the forehead
In a special simulator for working out the press	Another one a good option for those who are engaged in the gym. Exercises in the simulator also allow you to adjust the load, while the mechanism is designed in such a way that to perform the exercise in wrong technique pretty hard. This means that the press will get a good load anyway, so this option is great for beginners. There are simulators for horizontal and vertical twisting, that is, for exercising in a lying and sitting position, respectively. They differ somewhat in the nature of the load.
Oblique twists	During lifting, the body rotates around the body axis. If the hands are located behind the head, the elbow must first touch the right knee, then the left knee. If your arms are crossed over your chest, your elbows should be pulled towards the top of your thighs. This exercise option allows you to load the oblique muscles well. Whether they need to be worked out, everyone decides for himself. Girls should keep in mind that with an increase in the volume of the oblique muscles, the waist increases and the torso becomes masculine

Each of the variants of this exercise is somewhat different from the others in terms of the load that it gives to the abdominal muscles. In addition, the anatomical features of the body are important: some methods of twisting are better for some, others - others. Ideally, you should try them all to find the best ones for you. You can start with the classic version.

Another point to pay attention to is the position of the hands. They can either be crossed on the chest, or brought behind the head, clasping palms at the back of the head. The first option is easier and better suited for beginners. In order to increase the difficulty, you need to switch to the second one.

There is an even more difficult option, which, however, is rarely used - twisting with outstretched arms. With this method, straight arms must be extended in the direction from the body, as if overhead, crossing them at the wrists.

Correct technique

Technique for performing classic twists:

Take the starting position: lie on your back, bend your knees at an angle of 90 degrees, placing your feet on the floor, cross your arms over your chest or place them behind your head.
As you exhale, twist the body, reaching with your shoulders to the pelvis.
As you inhale, return to the starting position as smoothly.
Perform the required number of repetitions, rest from half a minute to one minute and proceed to the next set.

Number of repetitions

The number of repetitions and the amount of load must be selected depending on the goals of the training. If you want to build big abs, do 8 to 15 reps in three to four sets. In this case, most likely, you will need to use additional weights. A pancake of the desired weight is well suited for this purpose, but you can also take a dumbbell. In the gym, in order to increase the load, the exercise can be done on the simulator.

If your goal is to increase fat burning in the abdominal area and tighten the abdomen, you need to do many reps - 25 or more. It is also better to increase the number of approaches, there should be at least five.

Common mistakes

The most common mistake when performing this exercise, which is allowed by almost everyone who begins to master it - doing body lifts instead of twisting.

If, when twisting, the body seems to be humped, and the body approaches the groin, then during the lifts of the body, the back remains flat, and the shoulders go towards the knees.

With this technique, anything will work, but not the press. You can do twists in a similar manner for months or even years, but you never get the desired result.

Remember the measured pace of the exercise. The faster you do it, the less well the necessary fibers will be included. In addition, the appearance of inertia must be avoided in order to pass every centimeter of the range of motion due to the qualitative tension of the abdominal muscles.

Also, when performing this exercise, many strain their neck and press their chin to their chest. This should not be done - this is an unnecessary burden that is best avoided.

Moreover, big problem for many it is wrong breathing. At the moment of twisting the body, you need to make a sharp and truly powerful exhalation, in this case the load on the rectus abdominis muscle will be maximum. Do not be afraid to breathe loudly, even if you practice in gym - thanks to this, your abs workouts will be really effective.

Relaxation of the abdominal muscles during the peak of the extension movement is also common. If you keep the muscles in tension throughout the entire amplitude, then the effectiveness of the exercise will double.

It is clear that everyone wants to have an excellent press. The main distinguishing feature of any bodybuilder is a narrow waist, as it creates a number of advantages, among which, first of all appearance, as the width of the shoulders can be emphasized by the narrow waist.

Thus, swing of the press with additional loads, strictly not recommended, as in this case, the waist may widen. On the other hand, sports medicine experts disagree with this statement. According to them, the muscles of the lower back, together with the press, form the so-called muscle corset of the waist. When doing exercises such as squats, deadlift, and various exercises to stretch the back, the muscle corset of the waist performs stabilizing functions. In order to be able to perform this kind of exercise, in any case, a strong press is needed. Therefore, it is not surprising that a person with a weak abs is still quite far from an ideal athletic figure. Thus, many unknowingly make the mistake of pumping the press to exhaustion, but without additional burden. In the end, this only slows down growth. muscle mass.

If we talk about how to properly swing the press with a load, it should be noted that the waist can expand only if, using additional weights, do a set of exercises with a large number of repetitions. In order to give the abs strength, you must first of all do abdominal exercises with a small number of repetitions. The same principle works here as in other muscle groups: if you want to increase strength, work hard, but with a small number of repetitions; if you want to increase muscle volume, do the average number of repetitions.

Also, do not forget that it is better to start pumping the press with a strength exercise. And then you can already start multi-repetitive sets of abdominal exercises in order to achieve relief and endurance.

However, you need to know that you can swing the press until you turn blue, but this will have a very weak effect on the fat layer on top of it. Indeed, for burning fat, it is most effective to give the body aerobic exercise, coupled with a certain diet.

It is clear that everyone wants to have an excellent press. The main distinguishing feature of any bodybuilder is a narrow waist, as it creates a number of advantages, among which, first of all, appearance, since the width of the shoulders can be emphasized due to the narrow waist.

In order to know how to work with the press, you must first of all know its anatomy. The press is the surface of the abdomen, which is a rectus muscle, on which straight lines of tendons intersect, which are commonly called the six "cubes". The press takes its beginning under the ribs, and ends in the groin area. It should be noted that there are paired oblique muscles at the edges of the rectus muscle. However, pumping the press, you need to understand that the rectus muscle and the oblique paired muscles have completely different functions of work. When the rectus muscle contracts, the body folds according to the principle of a penknife, and in the case when the oblique muscles work, the body turns in different directions. It is impossible by straining the rectus and oblique muscles at the same time, since when the body is twisted, the oblique muscles are statically stressed, while the body itself is fixed horizontally.
Thus, swing of the press with additional loads, strictly not recommended, as in this case, the waist may widen. On the other hand, sports medicine experts disagree with this statement. According to them, the muscles of the lower back, together with the press, form the so-called muscle corset of the waist. When performing exercises such as deadlift, as well as various exercises for stretching the back, the muscle corset of the waist performs stabilizing functions. In order to be able to perform this kind of exercise, in any case, you need a strong press. Therefore, it is not surprising that a person with a weak abs is still quite far from an ideal athletic figure. Thus, many unknowingly make the mistake of pumping the press to exhaustion, but without additional burden. As a result, this only inhibits the growth of muscle mass.

Therefore, you do not need to listen to different "gurus" who say that it is harmful to pump the press with additional burden. It is necessary to do this, but everything must be done correctly. Recommended for abdominal exercises with weights to perform in the approach of six to eight really hard reps. This is how you can develop the real strength of the press.
Also, do not forget that it is better to start pumping the press with a strength exercise. And then you can already start multi-repetitive sets of abdominal exercises in order to achieve relief and endurance.

Frankly speaking, it is better to do exercises with abdominal weights only when you can already calmly raise your socks to the bar in the hang. This is not just a nagging, but a criterion for assessing strength. It is at this level that a person is able to stabilize the lower back and perform the exercise precisely by contracting the rectus abdominis muscle, and not by swinging, inertia and "bringing" the legs. Should you put weights on your arms while pumping your abs? There is no single answer to this question. And the point of view about the preliminary development of strength and balance is also not very popular in the world of fitness. And this has a fairly simple rationale.

Why Abdominal Exercise Gives Newbies

Everything is very simple. People quickly adapt to any exercise, moreover, they get used to them, mainly psychologically, not physically. How is it, three times a week in training to perform a simple leg raise from a lying position on the floor? Yes, I'm better ... So people leave one group lesson for another, try all the programs at once and do a bunch of different loads. Are they getting more training benefits? No, precisely because of the diversity of the load, which replaces the progression of complexity. How to make your workout more effective? Let's say so:

in the first 4 weeks, a person performs only straight twisting while lying on the floor without burdening, and reverse twisting, that is, bringing the knees to chest in the hang. He does this for 3-4 working sets of 10-15 reps. Once it is easy, it goes to the next level;
then for about a month our hero does the same thing, but using a fitball;
then - goes to the horizontal bar and an inclined bench;
and only having learned how to work on a horizontal bar and an incline bench, he can think about putting weights on his feet, or pick them up.

Why doesn't almost anyone do that? Simply because clients don't run away from boredom to more varied instructors. But you and I need a result, since we do it at home on our own, right? Therefore, before attaching weighting agents to your feet, you should learn how to work correctly without them.

Dos and Don'ts for Weighted Abs

Take too much weight.

At first, you will feel that you need to use the heaviest cuffs, almost like for the legs. But ... our body is designed in such a way that the quads of the thighs are stronger than the rectus abdominis muscle. And it is the legs that will take on most of the load, and the press will remain "unloaded". The meaning of the weights will then simply be lost. Choose the lightest cuff and add weight gradually, following more technique and less weight progression.

Do side bends, holding the weights in your hands.

Side bends are a great movement for men who want to get wider rather than keep thin waist... If you are closer to the "feminine" aesthetics of the body, bends should not be done. They lead to hypertrophy of the oblique muscles of the abdomen and the "disappearance" of the waist. It is with the help of inclinations, and not squats and deadlifts, that a "rectangular" figure is built, therefore inclinations should be avoided, except when they are indicated for the correction of scoliosis, but in this variant weights and other weights are not used.

To do swinging amplitude movements and lift the lower back from the floor in the ups.

We must have the skill of "assembling" the back in all starting positions. We must learn to draw in the abdomen and stabilize the lower back so that movement in lumbar was minimal when we lift our legs. If from a prone position we cannot raise our legs from the floor so that the spine does not bend in an arch, this exercise is contraindicated for us. There are many analogs, for example, bringing the socks to the midline of the body in the TRX loops and the same lifting of the socks to the midline in the hanging on the horizontal bar. It is not worthwhile to swing your legs or jerk to raise the body, as this does not allow maintaining the stability of the spine and sooner or later leads to injury.

Approximate set of exercises

Reverse curl with reduced amplitude.

Weights are worn on the shins and fasten tightly. Next, the legs are brought out to a perpendicular position to the floor. Due to the contraction of the rectus abdominis muscle, the person pushes the heels towards the ceiling, that is, slightly tears the pelvis off the floor. The movement should not be due to the inertial swing of the legs. You should imagine exactly how you try to touch the ceiling with your heels, twisting the pelvic bones to the lower ribs, and not how to swing your legs like a pendulum and try to pass part of the amplitude at their expense.

Raising your legs off the floor.

The exercise is performed only by those who can stabilize the lower back. Having pulled up the stomach, you should smoothly tear your legs off the floor and bring them out perpendicular to the axis of the spine. On exhalation - gently lower it back, ideally - do not touch the floor with your feet, but "hang" a few centimeters, and then perform another repetition.

Reverse curl in the hang.

It is necessary to take a hang on a horizontal bar or swedish wall, weights on the shins, pulling the legs to the midline of the body, strain the press, lowering the legs - do not "throw" it and do not relax too quickly.

Straight weight twisting.

Lie on the floor on your back, bring your legs to your buttocks, and move your feet 10 cm forward, so that the support is strong enough. Take the weights in your hands, bring them out in front of you on straight arms. Twist, bringing the lower ribs to the pelvic bones, and return to the starting position.

Lifting weights to straight legs.

This is a complicated version of twisting, it is necessary to bring the legs into a position perpendicular to the spine, tighten the abdomen and stabilize the lower back. Then you should stretch the weights to the front surface of the shins and gently lower to the starting position.

Russian twisting.

We sit on the floor on the buttocks, bring our hands with weights to the middle of the chest and pull them forward. Next, we tear off the feet from the floor, straining the press, and make short twists from side to side, pulling the navel to the spine. The goal is not to fall out of the balance position and relax your stomach.

Scissors.

Weights are put on the legs, the legs themselves are brought out of the prone position upward, at an angle of 45 degrees to the floor. The abdomen is retracted, then the feet are diluted and brought to the center, imitating the movement of "scissors". During the exercise, the hands stabilize the position of the body, that is, they are tightly pressed to the sides and floor.

The number of repetitions in such exercises should not exceed 12-15 repetitions, 3-4 working approaches should be performed. The principle of selection of exercises is one "forward" twisting, one "reverse". Abs workout is best combined with strength exercises for any other muscle groups, and not carried out on a separate day as self-study... Alternatively, you can work out the abs after a cardio session. A separate ab workout usually expends too little energy to be effective for weight loss, which should be considered too.

Get your abs right! Pump your abs efficiently! Receive quick resultusing scientific approach and the best method to date.

As Sean Rae once put it, bodybuilding is the great art of illusion. To this day, most bodybuilders take this expression too literally. The main manifestation of this attitude is to work on the muscles that are always in sight. The fashion for open tops has not yet reached men, so the press, hidden under clothes, is the last priority during training.

How wrong are those who believe that the main purpose of the press is aesthetics. In fact, they are of paramount importance for the body.

Unfortunately, such an important muscle group as the press, many swing with the help of twists, just for show. Twists - really good exercisehowever, it is - the main load is directed to the rectus abdominis muscle. This is exactly the muscle that pleases us with beautiful cubes with correct training... What a tremendous amazement there is for those who have succeeded in twisting, however, already long time cannot get the desired reliefs. Why did the exercise have no effect? We will talk about this a little later and in more detail.

In the meantime, we will note that even though cubes do not appear, curls are generally very useful. Almost all strength exercises are performed with the assistance of the abdominal muscles, in this case they perform static work. While the athlete is doing presses or squats, the elastic waist press creates stone support for the body. As a result, if an athlete regularly trained the rectus abdominis muscle, this will in any case have a positive effect on overall performance: with a strong press, he will be able to do more squats, improve results in the bench press, deadlift and many others.

The downside to twisting is monotony and isolation. As mentioned earlier, the main emphasis in twisting goes to the rectus abdominis muscle, the rest muscle groups - oblique external and internal muscles and transverse muscles are out of work.

Now we can turn to the question that worries you: why twisting does not give the desired relief. A good analogy is modeling from plasticine: in order to make a ball, you crush the clay from different sides, giving it a shape. A similar process occurs during the formation of convex "cubes" of the press. In order for the muscle to acquire bulk, it must be influenced from different sides. This can be done using a multidirectional load and special complex exercise.

Solid press

Ball curls

The principle of training the press is as follows: take one exercise from the series "Flexion", "Bends", "Turns". All three exercises should be performed one after the other without rest breaks. Each movement should be performed so that it ends with an absolute "rejection". For exercises with weights, you should have 20-25 reps per set.

A cycle of three exercises consists of three sets - for each exercise there is 1 set. At the end of the cycle, rest for up to 30 seconds. The cycle is repeated 3 times.

After practicing 2-3 sessions of this program, replace it with a new one by choosing other exercises. After another 2-3 sessions, change the set of exercises again. Ultimately, you will come to the original workout program. At this point, you should already be doing the same exercises not under own weight to "failure", but with a burden. With each workout, increase resistance and decrease the number of repetitions according to the following principle: the first workout - 20-25 times, the second - 12-20 times, the third - 8-10 times. In order to create the desired weights, you can use ankle weights, special balls, pancakes from the bar.

Weighted ball crunches

To perform the exercise, lie on the floor with your back, bend your legs at the knees. Stretch in front of you on straight arms weighted ball... Without lifting the lower back from the floor and without changing the vertical position of the hands with the ball, raise shoulder girdle... Linger a little at the top of the movement.

Double twist technique

Double crunches without weights and with weights

Take the starting position: back on the floor, knees bent, arms behind your head. Perform a double movement with simultaneous effort: raising the knees to the chest and lifting the shoulder girdle up. At the time of the exercise, strain the rectus abdominis muscle as much as possible. Pause at the end point of the movement.

Double weighted crunches

Lie on your back, bend your knees. Place a weighted ball between your knees and pinch it. Press your arms with additional weights to your chest. At first, the weight of the weights should not be more than 5 kg. At the same time, twist the body, pulling the knees to the chest, and the chest, lifting towards the knees.

Rolls with a Swiss ball

Starting position: the shins rest on the Swiss ball, the body is fully straightened, the straight arms rest on the floor, the position is the same as in push-ups. Using your abs, roll the Swiss ball towards you. After pausing, roll it away from you so that your hands rest on the floor now at an angle.

Twisting with extended straight arms

Lie on your back with your knees bent at an angle of 90 degrees. Stretch your straight arms along your torso and close your palms. Without lifting the lower back and without changing the position of the hands, lift the shoulder girdle up, linger at the top point.

Block Knee Raises

For the exercise, you need a simulator with a lower block. Attach the leg clamp to the block cable, attach the clamp to the ankle right leg. Right hand rest on the side, with the left firmly grasp the support. Raise the knee of your right leg as high as possible, without changing the straight position of the body, make a static pause at the top point. Change your legs and arms.

Doing crunches on a bench

Sit down on the bench so that the end of the bench is just below your shoulder blades. Press the weight to your chest. While straining the press, lift the shoulder girdle up without lifting the lower back from the bench. At the end point of the movement, pause static.

A set of exercises "Turns"

Exercises that involve moving weights in the hands cause a change in the center of gravity. This is usually not emphasized, however, when performing strength movements we are not really just raising and lowering the barbell, but directing all our efforts to maintain balance.

Consider from this point of view the well-known barbell lifts for biceps while standing. Only people ignorant of bodybuilding can believe that the weight of a load depends entirely on how developed the muscles of the arms are. But, as it turns out, the weight of your weights depends on the training of the press, because it is he who maintains the balance of the body during the exercise. Boost power characteristics press, and you can lift the bar 10% harder than before. And this is true in relation to other muscle groups: with powerful press the workloads of the rest of the muscles, in general, increase by 5-10%.

Do not forget that the abdominal muscles do work in three dimensions:

sagittal movements - direct reduction and extension of the body with the legs;
frontal - side slopes of the body;
body rotation.

From the first workouts, train your core muscles to work harmoniously, as a team. This will allow you to achieve better results in training other muscle groups. To properly develop your abdominal muscles, you will need a workout program consisting of three types of movements. Even better, three-sets, performed without rest, are suitable for this.

As soon as you have good abs, you will feel how much easier it has become to do other exercises. Comparing the difference before and after training the abdominal muscles, you will understand how much you were mistaken in the past, when you thought that the abs are needed only for aesthetics.

Hanging pelvic turns

To perform the exercise, you need to hang on the bar, bend your knees at an angle of 90 degrees. Slowly tilting your knees to the side, lift your feet as high as possible. In the upper phase of the exercise, a static pause is made. Next exercise performed for the opposite side.

Performing "lumberjack" on the upper block

To take the starting position, stand sideways to upper block, put your feet shoulder-width apart. Balance the stance by slightly bending your knees.

Holding the handle of the block with both hands, align the body in a strictly upright position... The movement should be performed along an arc path: with straight arms, lower the handle down, simulating a chopping motion. At this moment, the body must rotate around the axis. Return to the starting position smoothly, without jerking. It is very important that at runtime this exercise the amplitude of movement was maximum.

V-bends

This exercise is performed on the floor. You need to lie down face up and straighten your legs. While lifting straight legs and body up, extend your arms towards your feet. Hold this position and unfold the body as much as possible to one side. Hands without changing position should follow the body. Make a similar movement in the opposite direction.

Bike

Starting position: lying on the floor, clasp your hands behind your head and slightly lift your legs extended in length. Twist and pull the knee towards your chest at the same time. While twisting, try to reach the knee raised to the chest with the opposite elbow. Return to the starting position, and then repeat the same movement, but for the other knee and elbow.

Roll-ups with a turn

Rolls on a Swiss ball with a turn are performed as normal rolls, except that when rolling the ball, you must turn your knees to the side. The range of motion of the knees should be maximized. Turns should be done alternately for each side.

Turns of the legs from a prone position

The exercise is performed on the floor, lying on your back. For convenience, stretch your arms along your body and rest your palms on the floor. Raise your straight legs perpendicular to the floor, and then slowly lower them to the side, performing a static pause at the end. Return to starting position and do the same for the other side.

Twisting with body turns

Take the starting position: lie on the floor face up, bend your knees, stretch the burden on straight arms in front of your chest. Straining your abdominal muscles, lift your shoulder girdle up. During exercise, the lower back should not lose contact with the floor. During lifting, turn the body first to one side, while not bending your arms.

Samson's Bends

This exercise bears the name of its author - the strong man Samson. To perform, you need to become straight, holding dumbbells over your head on straight arms. The feet should be shoulder-width apart. Make a side tilt of the body as low as possible, keeping the same line of arms and body. Returning to the starting position, repeat the exercise with an incline in the opposite direction.

Dumbbell side bends

To perform the exercise, you need to stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart. The dumbbell is in a straight arm at the thigh. The second arm is extended along the body. Bends are done slowly towards the dumbbell, bend as low as possible. Return to the starting position just as slowly. After completing a series of reps, shift the dumbbell to the other hand and begin bending to the other side.

Exercise "board"

In order to take the starting position, you need to lie on your side, leaning on your bent arm. The other hand rests on the side. Legs are straight, one is on the other.

Slowly lift the pelvis up, straightening the body in one line. You need to hold this position as long as possible. Repeat the exercise, changing sides.

Stretch Leg Raise

To perform the exercise, you need to lie on your side. The head rests on a bent arm, the other hand rests in front of it on the floor to stabilize the body. Legs should be straight.

Raise your upper leg as high as possible, keep your leg straight in the same plane with your body. A static pause is made in the upper phase of the ascent. After completing the required number of repetitions with one leg, change the position of the body and change the leg.

Block slopes

Stand sideways to do the exercise. bottom block... Grasp the handle closest to the unit. Straighten your back, and then tilt to the opposite side. At the maximum tilt point, there is a static pause. Straighten up slowly. After making the required number of bends to one side, change position and start bending to the other side.

Side crunches

To take the starting position, you need to lie on the floor, turning on your side. One hand rests on the floor with a bent elbow, the other goes behind the head. To stabilize the position, put your legs together and bend them at the knees, slightly moving forward.

Lift the shoulder girdle as high as possible in longitudinal projection. After completing the necessary twists on one side, do the same on the other.

Side leg raises

Take a starting position: to do this, you need to lie on your side, put one hand behind your head, and with your elbow the other place an emphasis on the floor.

Raise your straightened legs as high as possible, the movement is carried out in the longitudinal plane of the body. At the top of the movement, fix the position, and then gently lower your legs down. After completing the required number of lifts, change legs.