Weighted Crunch

oec:weighted-crunch

An abdominal isolation exercise performed supine, curling the upper spine toward the pelvis while holding an external load.

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

Also called: Dumbbell Crunch, Plate Crunch, Weighted Abdominal Crunch

How to do it

Lie supine on a floor or exercise mat with your knees bent at roughly 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor.
Securely hold a weight plate or dumbbell against your upper chest with both hands.
Tuck your chin slightly and press your lower back gently toward the floor.

Contract your abdominals to curl your shoulders and upper back off the floor, bringing your ribcage toward your pelvis.
Pause briefly at the peak of the contraction, keeping tension on the abdominal wall.
Lower your upper torso under control until your shoulder blades lightly touch the floor, then immediately begin the next repetition.

Exhale forcefully as you curl upward, and inhale as you lower your torso back to the floor.

Pulling on the neck or excessively flexing the cervical spine.: Keep your neck in a neutral posture with the chin slightly tucked, focusing on bending through the ribcage.
Turning the movement into a full sit-up driven by hip flexors.: Only lift the shoulder blades and upper back off the mat; keep the lower back anchored to the floor.
Using momentum or bouncing off the floor.: Perform the movement smoothly with a distinct pause at the top and a controlled descent.

Start with a light weight to ensure proper spinal flexion mechanics without straining the neck or lower back.

This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.