# Crunch

The floor ab curl — peel the shoulder blades off the mat, squeeze, and
lower. Short range, all abs.

- **Category:** Main circuit
- **Type:** Spinal flexion (upper)
- **Targets:** Rectus abdominis
- **Prescription:** 3 × 15–20, slow

## Setup

Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Fingertips lightly behind the
ears, elbows wide.

## Execution

1. Exhale and curl the ribs toward the pelvis until the shoulder blades
   leave the floor.
2. Squeeze the abs hard at the top for a beat.
3. Lower the shoulders back down without letting the head rest.

## Cues

- It's a curl, not a sit-up — the lower back stays on the mat.
- Chin off the chest; the hands never pull the head.
- Exhale on the way up to deepen the contraction.

## Common Mistakes

- Yanking the neck with the hands.
- Sitting all the way up with the hip flexors.
- Racing through reps with momentum.

## Progression

Slow the tempo and add a pause at the top; hold a small plate on the
chest, or move to the Abdominal machine for stack-loaded flexion.