How To Do Swiss Ball Crunches
What Are Swiss Ball Crunches?
Swiss balls are a common but underused piece of kit. They can help to add variety and challenge to many exercises, including the ab crunch. Swiss ball crunches have a greater range of motion, allowing the abdominals to be stretched and contracted further, providing more challenge to these muscles.
While Swiss ball crunches mainly work the rectus abdominis, the core, hips, and lower back must also work hard to keep the ball and torso in place. This is a good progression from the ab crunch and will help to improve stability, balance, and coordination.
Most Commonly Asked Questions About Swiss Ball Crunches
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Swiss ball crunches are an effective way to train the core. This variation provides a larger range of motion and requires the body to work harder to remain stable, making it more challenging than standard ab crunches.
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Swiss ball crunches work the rectus abdominis, obliques and erector spinae. This exercise also helps to improve stability, balance, and coordination.
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Swiss balls can be used to work the abs in a few ways. Swiss ball crunches and Swiss ball pikes are both effective ab exercises that use the Swiss ball.
Tips for Swiss Ball Crunches
Swiss ball crunches can provide a greater range of motion than standard crunches, however it’s important to still avoid overextended the spine as this shifts tension away from the core and into the back, making it less effective and exposing the lower back to risk of injury.
The best way to avoid this is by curling your sternum towards your belly button and stopping the movement when you cannot get any closer, rather than performing a sit up.
How To Do Swiss Ball Crunches
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Lie down with your lower so your lower back, upper back, and shoulders are on the Swiss ball, knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
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Cross your arms over your chest so that each hand is touching the opposing shoulder. Alternatively, you can rest your hands on your thighs.
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Begin the reps by flexing your spine to lift your shoulders and upper back off the ball. Think about squeezing your abs and curling your sternum towards your belly button.
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Take a short pause at the top of the movement before slowly lowering yourself back to the starting position.
If you’re not sure if any of the above exercises are suitable for you, please consult your doctor before you start it. Need guidance on how to perform the exercise? Ask a personal trainer at your gym.