Medicine Ball Crunch
The crunch is a well known exercise to strengthen the abs. Using a weight such as a medicine ball adds more resistance to make the exercise harder.
Teaching points
- Lay on your back the floor with the knees bent.
- Hold a medicine ball in both hands, at arms length, pointing to the ceiling.
- Slowly lift your head, neck and shoulders off the floor.
- Keep the ball at arms length and the chin at the same distance from the chest at all times.
- Slowly return to the starting position.
Variations & progressions
- Perform on a fitball (swiss ball) to add a core stability dimension to the exercise.
Muscles worked
- Rectus Abdominus.
- Transversus Abdominus.
Alternative exercises
- Crunch.
- Crunch using a resistance band.
- Crunch machine.
Related injuries
- Lower back pain.
