PUT YOUR HANDS JUST UNDER YOUR PECS. FEEL THAT? THESE ARE YOU UPPER ABS.
The muscle you’re feeling is the upper part of the rectus abdominis, which is a long muscle that extends to the bottom of your core and to the left and right, where it meets the obliques on either side. If you tense your core, you’ll probably feel some flexing under your hands in this area and quite possibly nowhere else. Why? Chances are you’re strongest in your upper abs area. When you move your torso forward, down toward your legs or even brace for any movement, you’re using your upper abs. Because you’re probably already strongest in this area, you may find that you seem more advanced in this section of the book. And you’re probably right. But don’t let your stats from this chapter be a benchmark for the others.
When people see the word crunch, many immediately think they have to bring their entire spine off the ground and swing their weight around wildly. A proper crunch (with reach or not) is a very meticulous move with subtle motions. All you need is a flat surface and a serious emphasis on the form (see below).
START Lie face up on the floor with your spine straight, legs bent at the knee and arms pointing toward the far wall. Do not tuck your chin against your chest; keep your neck in line with your spine.
ACTION Crunch your upper torso up and forward. The movement brings your shoulders a few inches off the ground while your lower back and feet remain flat. Keep your arms pointing at the far wall as you move up and down in the crunching motion.
Put your hands behind your head, cradling your skull. Crunch forward, but do not pull with your arms or hands.
Lift one leg off the ground, alternating with each repetition, so that your calf is parallel to the floor (see photo below).
This move may have an odd name and funny starting position, but it’s seriously challenging with definite core-building benefits. All you need is a flat surface and a great deal of core stability to get through your reps.
START Lie on the floor with your spine flat and your legs up so the soles of your feet are pointing to the ceiling. Point your arms straight up.
ACTION Slowly crunch your upper body forward while maintaining your leg position throughout the movement.
To make this move easier, lie flat between each repetition so you are not in constant contraction.
Hold this move for a count of two on each repetition. You can also bend your knees at a 90-degree angle.
Stability balls are a great tool for building core strength, but they’ve also become a gym gimmick that gets added to almost any exercise you can imagine. The result: injuries. We advise using the stability ball on selected crunches because your feet remain flat on the floor to retain balance. If, however, you’re not sure of your balance, the Bosu ball is the perfect solution.
START Lie on a balance ball so your spine is fully cradled. Be careful with your positioning to ensure that your glutes do not rest on the ball at any time throughout your reps. Place your feet flat on the floor with your hamstrings parallel to the floor. Cradle your skull with your hands behind your head.
ACTION Crunch your upper torso forward, while maintaining your feet flat on the floor. Do not pull with your arms or hands.
If balancing on the stability ball is too difficult, lie on a Bosu ball (round side up) to minimize the chance of rolling off.
If you’ve mastered balancing on the ball, point your arms straight up at the ceiling through each rep.
The double crunch may be the quintessential abdominal movement. It targets the upper abs while also harnessing other areas of your core. All you need is a flat surface.
START Lie on the floor so your back and heels are on the ground with your legs bent at the knee. Cradle your skull with your hands behind your head.
ACTION Crunch your upper torso forward while simultaneously bringing your knees toward your chest. Try to get your elbows to touch your knees to complete a rep. Do not jerk forward with your hands. Slowly lower your upper body and legs back to the starting position.
To make this move a little easier, start with your calves resting on a bench for each repetition.
Hold the contraction for two counts to get more out of this exercise.
The Bosu ball might be the lesser-known cousin of the stability ball, but it should never be overlooked. In fact, the Bosu is a much better tool for most people because it eliminates many slip-and-fall injuries that can occur when doing this type of training. Try the standard crunch on the Bosu for more range of motion and see the results.
START Lie on the Bosu ball in a standard crunch position so your spine is cradled by the ball and your feet are flat on the floor.
ACTION Crunch your upper body forward, but do not pull with your hands.
“Slipping of the Bosu ball” is something that’s become a thing of comedy in a lot of gyms. Give it a good wipe before getting on it and make sure that your butt isn’t on the floor. If you’re finding that difficult, put a towel under your workout area to provide more friction while you’re sitting and crunching.
Lower your butt closer to the rim of the Bosu ball (just above the floor) to make this crunch easier.
Cradle a dumbbell behind your head and perform the crunch as described above to add intensity to this exercise.
Often overlooked by most trainers, this movement is great for your upper abs because it can be accomplished at any fitness level and only requires a flat surface.
START Lie flat on the floor with your right leg stretched out and your left leg up so the sole of your foot is parallel to the ceiling. Keep your legs straight with no bend at either knee.
ACTION Reach your arms forward so your hands cradle the back of your left thigh. Gradually move your hands up your leg in four reaches so your hands are as close to your ankle as possible. Repeat with your other leg.
Instead of reaching up your leg four times, gradually move your grip toward your ankle only twice per rep (because you have only two reaches, it’s not expected that you will reach your ankle).
Add intensity to this move by upping your reaches from four to six on each leg.
Just because you’ve mastered the crunch doesn’t mean you get to cut it from your repertoire. Add some weight to the movement and you’ll feel like a novice all over again. All you need is a weight plate (or dumbbell) and a flat surface.
START Lie flat on the floor with your knees bent while hugging a weight plate to your chest or holding a weight plate or dumbbell straight above toward the ceiling.
ACTION Crunch your upper torso forward toward your knees while keeping your feet and lower back flat on the floor. The only motion is your shoulders and upper back elevating a few inches off the ground.
If the additional weight is too much, perform the movement without any weight while cradling your skull with your hands behind your head.
Perform each rep in the same manner as described in basic move, but bring one leg up on each rep. Alternate your legs and keep them straight, with your calves parallel to the ground. Do not angle your legs inward (see photo below).
You know those resistance bands that you thought were pool toys or random pieces of plastic at the gym? They’re great tools for adding resistance to any movement. Follow the color guide to select the right one for you: Yellow is easiest, red is a bit harder, green is harder, and blue is most advanced.
START Fasten a resistance band above you (for example, at the top of a door or on a door handle) and kneel on the ground, keeping your thighs, torso, and head in a straight line. Hold the ends of the resistance bands in front of your head with your hands wide enough to cradle your face.
ACTION Crunch your upper body downward toward the floor, but don’t use your arms to extend the resistance band.
Use a resistance band with less tension or simply do the movement without any resistance, focusing on the contraction in your upper abs.
Add more tension by using a tighter resistance band and bring the contraction further down so your elbows almost touch the ground (see above photo).
The cable station in your gym is the busiest for a reason: It works for just about any body part—especially your core.
START Lie flat in the typical crunch position with your head 2 feet (61cm) away from the base of a vertical cable station. Hold the cable rope with both your hands just behind your head.
ACTION Crunch your upper torso forward while keeping your arms bent. The movement is only a few inches, but the contraction will be exclusively in the upper abs; do not pull the weight with your arms or use momentum to swing through your reps.
To make this move a little easier, lessen the weight on the cable station. If you can’t curl the weight with one hand, it’s too much. Select a weight that is light for a single arm movement. You’ll think it’s too light for the contraction, but because you’ll be doing this to failure, you’ll be building muscle with each rep.
Add intensity to this movement by performing your reps on a Bosu ball and also adding weight.
A decline bench can be a great tool for building strength in your upper abs because it adds gravity to your contraction. Be sure to select a bench with leg pads so you don’t accidentally slide off the bench.
START Lie flat on the decline bench, with your legs tucked around the leg pads so you don’t slip off. Put your hands behind your head, cradling your skull. Press your spine flat against the bench.
ACTION Curl your upper torso forward, being careful not to pull your head and neck forward for momentum. Your shoulders, middle back, and lower back all come off the bench. Straighten your spine at the top of the rep.
Because this is an advanced move, there is little that can be done to lessen the intensity. If you attempt this move and it is beyond your fitness level, the most you can expect is to perform partial reps. While this is not recommended, there is still benefit in doing partial reps, but remember not to use momentum or pull with your arms.
If you’ve mastered this movement and want to add intensity, we recommend holding a weight plate, dumbbell or kettlebell over your chest at the start of your reps and pressing it up and above your head at the top of each movement.
