Alternate Crunch

Area: Stomach
Muscle Group: Abdominals

• Lie on your back on a cushioned surface, with your knees slightly bent and your heels resting on the floor
• Place your left hand by the left side of your head
• Put the palm of your right hand down on the floor
• Draw your belly button towards your spine
• Simultaneously draw your right knee up and curl up to take the left elbow to meet your right knee
• Press your right hand into the mat to assist your upper body movement
• Return and repeat the opposite way - right elbow to left knee, left elbow to right knee
• Exhale as you curl up and inhale on the way down
• Ensuring as you come down the lower back goes into the matt first and your spine uncurls to the shoulders
• To make the exercise more difficult, place both hands by the side of your head