SETUP: Sit upright on a Swiss ball, then walk your feet forward as you slowly lie back on the ball. Your feet should be flat on the ground now, a 90 degree bend at the knees, and your lower back supported by the Swiss ball. This is your start position.
REP: Perform a crunch by squeezing your abs hard and breathing out. We can make this better by also tilting our pelvis up towards our abs as we do the move (see video). As you return to the start position, you’ll notice that the Swiss ball allows us to get a much better stretch on the abs versus crunches on the floor (see video) – by lying back and dropping our hips, we can make the next rep even more productive!
TIP: Most people get their breathing totally wrong on crunch-based exercises. Either they hold their breath, or they breathe out at the top of each crunch. While breathing is always better than not breathing, both of these approaches are technically incorrect. Instead, I want you to breathe in before you start your rep, then start breathing out as you perform the crunch, and continue breathing out at the top until you’re short of air. You’ll feel 100% superior abs recruitment.
