Crunch (straight leg-up)

Perform the crunch with your legs straight up in the air to engage your core effectively.

  1. Lie on your back with your legs extended straight up towards the ceiling.
  2. Place your hands behind your head or crossed over your chest.
  3. Engage your core and lift your upper body towards your legs, squeezing your abdominal muscles.
  4. Lower back down with control and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

How to perform the Crunch (straight leg-up)

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Crunch (straight leg-up) using your body weight.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your abdominals.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your abdominals rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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