Crunches on an incline bench

The crunch on an inclined bench is a basic exercise for working the abs. It allows for many variations, differing in their effects and levels of difficulty. This exercise is suitable both for the beginning of any workout (as a warm-up) and for its conclusion.

Nuances and Mistakes

1. The higher the incline of the bench, the harder it is to perform this exercise (all else being equal).

2. Your task is to twist as much as possible (to hunch your back) to activate the abs. If you rise with a straight back, it will not engage the abs but rather the iliopsoas muscle.

3. You can either fully lower yourself onto the bench (stretching the abs in the process) or not lower yourself all the way. In the latter case, the range of motion will be smaller. However, the abs will fatigue more quickly and intensely.

4. As weight, you can use a weight plate. You can place it either on your chest (the simpler version) or behind your head (the more challenging version).

5. If you want to exclude the iliopsoas muscle from working and focus solely on the abs, do not lift your lower back off the bench at all. Instead, just twist your back in the thoracic region. However, I see nothing wrong with engaging auxiliary muscles in this exercise.

6. If you find this exercise difficult for now, cross your arms over your chest. Alternatively, you can grab the edges of the bench. This makes it easier.