Just spend 15 minutes daily performing reverse crunches and get yourself a chiseled belly

We all know how crunches have a great reputation to help people get abs. But let’s just say there are ‘n’ number of variations that this exercise has. Your job is to decide the variation, based on your fitness levels. But today, we are going to speak about a move called reverse crunches.

Reverse crunches is a hardcore exercise for your belly.The best part of this exercise is that it can be performed by anyone — whether he/she belongs to the intermediate or advanced levels. 

Apart from your abs, reverse crunches also have an impact on your hamstrings and lower back. 

Exercising your hamstrings come with these advantages:

• They help you burn more calories;
• They give better results than sit-ups and half-crunches;
• And lastly, no neck or back pain.

Now, let’s learn how you can ace this move. 

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Here are some steps to do reverse crunches

The move isn’t that difficult, ladies.

1. Lie on a mat and slowly bend your legs at the knee. Now, slowly raise your legs, so that the knees are directly over your hips and your lower legs are parallel to the floor (at 90 degrees). This is the starting position.

2. Brace the abdominal muscles and hold a neutral spine position with a slight natural curve in the lower back region.

3. In the next step, exhale as you contract the abs to curl your hips and knees toward your chest, with only your hips coming off the mat as you curl. Just remember that your knees should remain at the same angle throughout this upward phase. Ensure that your head is kept straight, and the neck and shoulders should remain relaxed and on the mat.

4. Inhale and slowly return to the starting position with your hips back on the mat, and your knees over your hips, still bent at 90 degrees.

Keep an idea of your risk of weight-related issues.

Check BMI

Also, read: Crunches or V-ups: We reveal which is better to reduce belly fat

Try doing at least 20 repetitions for four sets. You can very well increase the number of reps, as you get stronger. If you’re unable to make that balance, try to move your hands above your head and hold on to something. The grip will give you better balance and help you in lifting yourself.

Some very common mistakes you must avoid while doing reverse crunches

1. Don’t give jerks while lifting your legs up, as it will not create an impact on your muscles.

2. Don’t roll your leg too far, otherwise the contraction gets distributed instead of being targeted at one place.

3. Keep a tab on your breathing.

4. Don’t forget to keep your core tight, while doing reverse crunches.

5. Avoid doing them, if you have a back injury.

So ladies, we’ve said it all. Now the question is are you ready to put a reverse gear on your crunches?