Kick your abdominal exercise and kick your abdominal exercise with a crashing cross crunch with this fun variation! If you need extra challenges to strengthen and tone your core, they are perfect.
“If you can do regular crunches with the right form and activation, then you’ll do cross crunches,” advises James Shapiro, NASM-certified personal trainer and owner of Primal Power Fitness in New York City.
“This is not a beginner’s movement. There should be a foundation for performing lateral flexion and front-based stabilization. Think of the board and dead bugs,” he adds.
Learn more about how to achieve a stronger core with Cross Crunches.
Cross Crunch: Step-by-Step Instructions
- Lie on your back on the ground, bend your knees and place your feet on the floor.
- Place your head behind your head and let your elbows burn to the side.
- Lift your shoulder blades off the floor and begin moving towards your right hand towards the outside of your right ankle.
- Exhale as you curl to maximize abdominal contraction.
- Return to the starting position before going to the other side for a set repetition.
Which muscles work in the cross crunch?
Cross crunches are exceptional for targeting abdominal muscles and are known to build core endurance after a targeted number of people.
Teresa Marco, PT, DPT, OCS of Marco Physical Therapy in New York City, said, “Crosscrunch uses a combination of muscles, not just the abdomen (rectal abdomen). It targets the abdomen (rectal abdomen) and the internal and external obliques (the muscle depicting the muscle with which the abdomen is drawn). Transuss abdominis.”
They claim that crunches are a surefire way to add strength to the torso. And with a strong core, your posture will improve.
“One of the common mistakes people make is pulling the head when they lift and using the neck muscles to lift it up.
Always support the neck and listen to Marco’s suggestions for targeting the right muscles when performing cross crunches.
Cross Crunch Variations
Enrich your cross crunch and try out the next exercise options to further strengthen your abdominal wall.
- Use a cross crunch with your feet raised in bent air at 90 degrees for additional challenges.
- Consider doing a cross crunch with an exercise ball (the exercise ball supports the spine). Your abs will feel burned.
- For advanced variations, hold the medicine ball on your chest while twisting left and right.
These suggestions are a surefire way to achieve your targeted strength training goals!
Does Cross Crunch burn calories?
Like other physical activities, cross crunch burns calories, but does not absorb stomach fat.
Cross crunch activates relatively small amounts of muscle mass, and burns more calories per minute than other exercises (such as a rush).
To burn bulge, we recommend maintaining your daily calorie deficit with a wise diet and exercise plan that includes building muscle.
“The cross crunch itself doesn’t burn calories different from other muscles,” says Morgan Reese, ace certified personal trainer in Los Angeles. “Instead of focusing on calorie burns for this particular movement, we’re focusing on core engagement and strength.”
After adding cross crunches to your training routine, be aware of increased strength and core muscle endurance.
