5 types of crunches for a flat belly

Written By: Shraddha Rupavate | Updated : November 19, 2014 12:28 PM IST

Is your belly fat bothering you a lot? If you really want a flat, toned belly you need to stop crash dieting and actually stimulate your core muscles to burn that layer of fat accumulated around your waist. The best way to achieve it is by performing abdominal crunches.

Here are five different types of crunches that can help you get rid of the layer of fat and develop a strong core.

Regular crunches: These crunches will workdirectly on your central core muscles. The term 'core' applies to a group of muscles present throughout the upper and lower body. These muscles work together to stabilise and support the spine.

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Lie on the floor with both knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Bend the arms at the elbows and lock your palms at the base of your head.
Now, lift your shoulder blades off the floor by contracting the abs fully.
Lower your shoulder blades to take them back to the initial position, by allowing momentary relaxation of the abs muscles.
Repeat.

To increase the difficulty level, you can try variations in regular crunches. While everything else along with the technique remains the same, perform crunches by changing the position of legs.

Crunches with feet in chair position: Similar to regular crunches, lie on your back against the floor with knees bent. From the position, lift the feet off the floor to achieve the chair position by bringing them at a 90 degree angle to the floor
Crunches with feet perpendicular to the floor: Straighten both the knees, lifting the feet towards the ceiling. Your legs should be at a 90 degree angle to the floor.
Crunches with feet in diamond position: Bend both the knees to join the toes of your feet in a diamond pose.
Crunches with wide-open feet: Pushboth the legs apart by straightening the knees.

Twist crunches: These crunches work on your oblique muscles rather than your central core muscles. Working on oblique muscles is also equally important if you want toned abdominal muscles.

Lie on the floor. Bend both the knees, keeping the feet flat on the floor.

Lock your palms behind your head.

Now, instead on crunching the regular way, crunch sideways by bringing the elbow to the opposite knee. Keep your lower back pressed onto the floor, and crunch by lifting the shoulder blades off the floor. Twist the upper body diagonally while crunching.

Do not bend your head or chest while crunching. Aim to touch the elbow to the opposite knee
Get back slowly to your initial position. Alternate between left and right twists

Bicycle crunches:

Lie on your back with your feet straight this time. You can use some support by holding the legs of a chair or table, so as to hold your back flat against the floor.

Lift one of the legs, bend your knee and pull it towards your stomach
Bring back the leg to its original position and simultaneously perform the same movement with another leg. It s the same kind of legs movement you would perform while riding a bicycle.

Long arm crunches:

Lie on your back with your knees bent.
This time your arms will go straight, extended above your head. Throughout the reps, your arms should remain straight above your head
Now, lift your back or upper body off the floor to crunch. Make sure your feet remain flat on the floor while you crunch.
Get back to the initial position
Repeat

Reverse crunches: This is an easier version of crunches, basically for those having problems with the back. This type of crunches does not exert much pressure on the back.

Lie on the floor against your back and lift the heels off the floor to reach the chair position.
Now using the pelvis, pull your knees towards the chest and lift your hip off the floor, such that the toes of your feet point towards the ceiling.

Image source: Getty images

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