Weighted Leg Extension Crunch

Weighted Leg Extension Crunch: So führst du sie aus

1. 1Sit on a stability ball, then walk your feet forward and lean back until the ball sits under your lower back and the middle of your spine, with your feet flat on the floor and knees bent at roughly 90 degrees.
2. 2Hold a dumbbell or weight plate against your chest with both hands, keeping your elbows drawn in.
3. 3Let your torso relax back slightly over the ball into the starting position, maintaining contact between your lower back and the ball.
4. 4Brace your core and exhale as you crunch your torso upward, lifting your shoulder blades off the ball, while simultaneously extending both legs straight out in front of you at roughly hip height.
5. 5Hold the top position briefly with your torso raised and legs fully extended — your body should form a straight line from shoulders to heels.
6. 6Inhale and slowly lower your torso back over the ball while simultaneously drawing your knees back in to the starting bent position.
7. 7Maintain controlled contact with the ball throughout — avoid letting it roll or shift under you.
8. 8Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, keeping the movement of the torso and legs synchronized on every rep.

Technik-Tipps

• Keep your chin slightly tucked and your gaze toward the ceiling rather than toward your feet — this maintains a neutral cervical spine and reduces neck strain during the crunch.
• Press the weight firmly against your chest rather than holding it away from your body — the shorter moment arm keeps load manageable and directs effort to the rectus abdominis.
• Exhale fully as you crunch and extend; the forced exhalation helps brace the core and generates stronger abdominal contraction.
• Synchronize the leg extension with the crunch so both actions happen together — letting one lead the other reduces the coordinated demand that makes this exercise effective.
• Choose a ball diameter that allows your hips to sit level with or slightly below your knees in the starting position — a ball that is too small or too large will compromise the range of motion.

Häufige Fehler

• Pulling on the neck or head with the weight: using the dumbbell to yank the head forward shifts strain from the rectus abdominis to the cervical spine and reduces effective abdominal contraction.
• Dropping the legs too low during extension: letting the legs fall below hip height excessively loads the iliopsoas over the rectus abdominis and can compress the lumbar spine against the ball.
• Using momentum to swing the torso up: bouncing off the ball reduces time under tension on the rectus abdominis and can cause the ball to shift, increasing the risk of losing balance.
• Letting the legs drift apart during extension: allowing the knees and feet to splay wide reduces tension on the adductors and pectineous and diminishes the coordinated stabilization the exercise is designed to train.
• Rushing through repetitions without resetting: skipping the controlled return to the starting position removes the eccentric load on the rectus abdominis, which accounts for a significant portion of the strength stimulus.

Häufig gestellte Fragen