7 Best Exercises to Get Better at Crunches and Lose Stomach Fat
Crunches are often taken as a common indicator for assessing core and abdominal strength.
Often, crunches form the base of core and abdominal workouts that help in strengthening the muscles and building greater endurance. They also help in losing stomach fat by burning a high number of calories and trimming body fat.
To get better at crunches and lose stomach fat, you can consider including different abdominal exercises that can help in building the stability and strength of the core along with shedding stomach fat.
Exercises to Get Better at Crunches and Lose Stomach Fat
We have rounded up a list of seven best exercises that can help you get better at crunches and losing stomach fat:
1) Cobra Pose
Cobra pose can help stretch and open the stomach muscles responsible for the forward movement in crunches. It can also help lose stomach fat by stretching and toning the muscles of the core region.
2) Bird Dog
Bird dog is an intermediate level exercise that effectively targets your abdominal muscles along with the back, hips and butt. That helps in reducing the risks associated with a lower back injury, as the position of this exercise puts a lesser strain on your back and spine.
Bird dog can also help lose stomach fat by toning your thighs and core region. Calories burned by the exercise can help in shedding those extra pounds.
Additionally, strengthening the core muscles via this exercise can help you get better at crunches. As it's a unilateral exercise, a bird dog also helps in correcting muscle imbalance, helping you to do crunches.
3) Plank
Plank, a basic and crucial exercise for core workout, targets all the muscles in the core region and shoulders. Performing a plank can help you get better at crunches, as it strengthens all the muscles responsible for doing the exercise. It can also help you perform other advanced abs exercises.
Planks also help you lose stomach fat by trimming the fat from the core region and toning the muscles.
4) Captain’s Chair
Captain chair is a dynamic exercise that's even included by professional athletes and bodybuilders in their workout regimes. This exercise can help in the effective muscle stimulation of the core while targeting the rectus abdominus and obliques.
Captain’s chair can help you get better at crunches, as it improves the functioning of the spinal flexion, which is responsible for movements such as lifting your body to a sitting position from the lying one.
It also helps you lose stomach fat and effectively train the lower body.
5) V Sit
V Sit is an intermediate level core exercise that challenges the balance of your body along with building core strength by targeting multiple muscles.
V Sit can help you to get better at crunches by building better core strength along with better coordination and body balance. It can also help you lose stomach fat by burning calories and toning your stomach. Moreover, V Sit can help you maintain a better posture throughout the movement of crunches.
6) Mountain Climber
Mountain climber has a full body movement that engages the muscles across their hips, cores, thighs, arms and butt. This exercise also puts a lesser strain on your back muscles, reducing the risk of injuries.
It also helps you get better at crunches by strengthening the muscles throughout your body and building better balance.
The movement of the exercise helps in burning a high number of calories and help you to lose stomach fat.
7) Side Plank Rotation
It's an advanced abs exercise that effectively challenge your muscles and body balance. Besides working on the core strength, side plank rotation also works on the muscles of your shoulders. If you're a beginner in core workout, start with the side plank first before moving to the side plank rotation.
This exercise can help you get better at crunches by building a strong and stable core. Side plank rotation can also help you lose stomach fat by trimming those extra pounds on the side.
Bottom Line
Other steps you can take to get better at crunches are improving the stance of the exercise and practicing them regularly.
Consistency can help in building the strength and stamina required, and as you build strength, you can push the limits of your body. Furthermore, give adequate rest and recovery to your core, and don't work yourself to fatigue.
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