Side Crunch
Name: Side Crunch
Also known as: Oblique Crunch
Main muscles used: Sides.
Other muscles used: Stomach.
Top tips:
- Crunch your upper body up in exactly the same way as a normal Abdominal Crunch.
- Try to keep both knees together, and twist your hips and legs to one side, resting your knees on the floor.
- When doing the crunch, your upper body should remain square, with both shoulders moving equal amounts at the same time.
- Having your hands to the side of your body (as shown in the animation) is the “easy” version. Moving your arms/hands further up the body makes the move harder.
- Keep your eyes and chin pointing up towards the ceiling.
- Keep your lower back pressed firmly in the floor.
- Do equal amounts of work with your hips twisted to the right and left sides.
Side Crunch
Common mistakes:
- Not twisting the hips far enough around, so the knees are still pointing up in the air.
- Not doing equal amounts of work on both side of the body.
- Twisting the upper body and shoulders when crunching up.
- Pressing the chin down onto the chest.
Comments: By twisting your hips, more work is being done by the oblique muscles that are found at the side of your stomach. These tend to be a bit harder to do than normal Abdominal Crunches, because the muslces involved are used a lot less on a day-to-day basis. As with the normal Abdominal Crunch, this is only a small move. Your upper body (chest and shoulders) will only tilt upwards a few degrees. Don’t try to make is a Full Situp, and end up sitting vertically. Name: