Levitation Crunch

oec:levitation-crunch

A crunch variation where the shoulder blades are lifted straight up toward the ceiling with the arms overhead to emphasize upper abdominal contraction.

Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.

How to do it

Setup

Lie flat on your back on a mat with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor roughly hip-width apart.
Extend your arms overhead or cross your forearms above your head without clasping your hands behind your neck.
Flatten your lower back firmly against the floor to posteriorly tilt the pelvis.

Movement

Exhale and lift your shoulder blades straight up off the floor toward the ceiling, keeping your lower back anchored down.
Pause at the top for one to two seconds, focusing on a maximal contraction in the upper abdominals.
Inhale as you lower your torso under control until your shoulder blades lightly touch the floor, maintaining tension throughout.

Breathing

Exhale forcefully as you lift straight up toward the ceiling, and inhale smoothly as you lower your upper back to the mat.

Cues

Drive your chest straight to the ceiling.
Keep your lower back glued to the floor.
Don't yank your head or tuck your chin into your chest.

Common faults

Curling the torso forward instead of lifting straight upward.: Focus on elevating the ribcage and shoulder blades directly toward the ceiling rather than rolling toward your knees.
Pulling on the cervical spine with the hands.: Keep your arms crossed overhead or keep hands lightly touching the temples without pulling the neck.
Arching the lumbar spine off the floor during the lift.: Maintain abdominal brace and keep the lumbar spine pinned against the mat throughout the entire movement.

Safety

Keep the neck relaxed and aligned with the spine to avoid cervical strain.

Muscles

Rectus abdominis prime mover
Obliques synergist
Transversus abdominis stabilizer
Deep neck flexors stabilizer

Joints

Thoracic spine: Flexion
Cervical spine: Isometric stabilization
Lumbar spine: Isometric stabilization

Details

Movement: Spinal flexion
Modality: Calisthenics, Hypertrophy, Strength
Mechanics: isolation
Force: pull
Laterality: bilateral
Kinetic chain: open
Level: beginner
Equipment: None
Record: Repetitions
Load: bodyweight

variation of Crunch
progression of Crunch
substitute for Reach-Up Crunch
substitute for Crunch

Sources

wger: Levitation Crunch, by Moffi (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.

Data

levitation-crunch.json