Reverse Crunch (VERSION 2)

How to do the Reverse Crunch (VERSION 2)

1. 1Lie on your back on the floor or a mat with your arms flat at your sides, palms pressing down for stability.
2. 2Extend both legs straight and hold them at roughly a 45-degree angle to the floor, or parallel to the floor if you have sufficient core strength.
3. 3Brace your core by drawing your navel toward your spine and pressing your lower back firmly into the mat.
4. 4Keeping your legs extended, contract your abs and hip flexors to begin curling your pelvis upward off the mat.
5. 5Continue the curl, allowing your knees to draw toward your chest as your hips peel off the floor — drive the movement from your abs rather than from momentum.
6. 6Pause briefly at the top when your hips are fully curled and your knees are close to your face.
7. 7Lower your hips back to the mat slowly and under control, resisting the pull of gravity throughout the descent.
8. 8Return your legs to the starting angle without letting them drop to the floor, and move directly into the next rep.

Form tips

• Keep your arms pressed firmly into the floor throughout each rep — using them as a base of stability prevents the upper body from lifting and keeps the load on your abs.
• Exhale as you curl your hips up and inhale as you lower them; matching your breath to the movement helps you generate more intra-abdominal pressure at the top.
• Move deliberately on the lowering phase — a slow, controlled descent trains the iliopsoas and rectus abdominis more effectively than letting gravity drop your legs back.
• If your lower back arches off the mat before your hips rise, raise your starting leg angle so your feet are higher, which shortens the lever arm and makes the movement more manageable.
• The motion should originate in the pelvis; your neck and upper back should stay flat on the floor throughout.

Common mistakes

• Swinging the legs to generate momentum rather than contracting the abs, which removes tension from the rectus abdominis and iliopsoas and reduces the training effect.
• Letting the lower back arch and lift off the mat during the lowering phase, which places stress on the lumbar spine and signals a loss of core bracing.
• Pushing with the hands or gripping the sides of the mat to help raise the hips, which shifts effort away from the core and turns the movement into a push rather than a curl.
• Dropping the legs all the way to the floor between reps, which releases tension in the iliopsoas and rectus abdominis and makes each rep easier than it should be.
• Performing only a shallow hip lift instead of fully peeling the hips off the mat, which limits the range of motion and the stimulus to the lower abdominals.

Frequently asked questions