Cross Crunches | Illustrated Exercise Guide

Primary muscles: Abs
Secondary muscles: Obliques
Equipment: No equipment
Exercise for the opposite muscles: Alternating superman

CROSS CRUNCHES INSTRUCTIONS

1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent.
2. Cross your right leg on top of the left knee, and support your head with the left hand.
3. Crunch and bring your left elbow across your body and toward the right knee.
4. Repeat for as many reps as you can and switch sides.

PROPER FORM AND BREATHING PATTERN

When doing cross crunches make sure that your abs are doing all the work. Keep your spine in a neutral position and support your neck with your hand. Breathe out as you squeeze your abs and keep your legs static as you bring your elbow toward the opposite knee.

EXERCISE BENEFITS

The cross crunch targets both the abs and the oblique muscles. This exercise helps to strengthen the core, sculpts the waist and tones the abdominal wall. To challenge your muscles and get them to respond to exercise, it’s important that you include modified versions of the regular crunch into your core workouts.

DEMONSTRATION

SETS AND REPS

Do 20 to 25 cross crunches on each side. Alternating core exercises with cardio moves is the secret to a flat belly and a slim midsection. It’s important to, not only sculpt and build your muscles with core strengthening exercises but also burn the fat that surrounds the muscles with cardio moves.

CALORIES BURNED

To calculate the number of calories burned doing cross crunches, enter your weight and the duration of the exercise:

RELATED CORE EXERCISES

Try these other core exercises to tighten, sculpt and strengthen your abs, obliques, lats and lower back:
V sit
Russian twist
Bicycle crunches
Cobra lat pulldown

WORKOUT ROUTINES