Weighted Crunches — start position
Start
Weighted Crunches — end position
End

Core / Beginner / Isolation (single joint)

Weighted Crunches

A medicine ball isolation exercise for the abs.

At a glance

Primary
Abs
Equipment
Medicine ball
Movement pattern
Trunk flexion
Level
Beginner
Type
Core, Isolation (single joint)

How to do it

  1. Lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground or resting on a bench with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle.
  2. Hold a weight to your chest, or you may hold it extended above your torso. This will be your starting position.
  3. Now, exhale and slowly begin to roll your shoulders off the floor. Your shoulders should come up off the floor about 4 inches while your lower back remains on the floor.
  4. At the top of the movement, flex your abdominals and hold for a brief pause.
  5. Then inhale and slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position.

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Muscles worked

Neck (Front)Upper traps (Front)Front delts (Front)Side delts (Front)Chest (Front)Serratus anterior (Front)Biceps (Front)Forearms & grip (Front)Abs — primary (Front)Obliques (Front)Hip flexors (Front)Quads (Front)Adductors (Front)Shins (tibialis) (Front)Calves (Front)Outer shins (peroneals) (Front)Feet (arch & toes) (Front)Neck (Back)Upper traps (Back)Upper back (rhomboids, mid/lower traps) (Back)Rear delts (Back)Side delts (Back)Rotator cuff (Back)Lats (Back)Lower back (erectors) (Back)Triceps (Back)Forearms & grip (Back)Hip abductors (glute med) (Back)Glutes (Back)Hamstrings (Back)Adductors (Back)Calves (Back)
FrontBack
  • Primary: Abs

Best for

How specific this exercise is to each movement.

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Photos and instructions: free-exercise-db (github.com/yuhonas/free-exercise-db), public domain.