Weighted Hand To Leg Ab Crunches – Abs Exercise Guide

Muscles Targeted: The weighted hand to leg AB crunch targets the lower and middle abdominal muscles and helps to strengthen the overall core area. If you’re looking to tighten up your waistline and achieve a lean and sexy stomach, make sure to also implement cardio workouts and a healthy diet into your overall fitness program to achieve the best results.

Exercise Instructions: Grab two dumbbells and lie flat on an exercise mat with your arms and legs fully extended. Slowly raise your right leg and right arm at the same time to perform an AB crunch. Try to keep your arm and leg straight throughout the movement. Focus the tension on your abs and flex your stomach at the peak position. Repeat with your left leg and arm.

Why This Exercise is Important: When people go to the gym, they usually want to work on their abs so that they can build a ripped washboard stomach. But did you know that other than making you look good in a swimsuit, the abs have important functions in our daily lives? A strong core helps in maintaining a correct posture and strengthens the lower back muscles which helps to alleviate back pain. If your abs are weak, you will have a hard time standing up, walking and sitting as this is the center of your gravity. By including weighted hand to leg AB crunches into your routine, you will tone and strengthen your abs which will make your daily activities much easier.

Things To Avoid: Before starting any exercise regimen, you should consult with your doctor first. The weighted hand to leg AB crunches is not for beginners. Master the basics of abdominal exercises first before doing this move. If you are doing this exercise for the first time, ask a personal trainer or a friend to spot you in order to prevent any injuries.

Choose the weight of your dumbbell carefully. It should not be too heavy that you risk injury, or too light that it will not challenge you. Women usually have a tendency to pick a very light weight because they worry that heavy weights will give them a muscular look. This is untrue because women do not have as much of the muscle building hormone, testosterone, as men have.

It is better to do the weighted hand to leg AB crunches on an exercise mat in order to support your back and provide a more comfortable place to position your body when doing this exercise. While it’s fine to lie down on a floor in your home, you might damage the floor if you drop the weights so be careful when handling the dumbbells.

Do not use momentum to propel yourself when doing each repetition. Go slow and controlled while you raise your leg upwards and back down. Make sure that you make tight and controlled movements, taking power from your core, and not your arms or back. Take care not to bang the dumbbell on your shin as well. Grip your hand firmly around the handle as you come up and down. Do not strain your neck forward as you come up. Finally, do not move too quickly when doing this exercise and always focus on your technique.

Reps and Sets: Concentrate on form rather than quantity of repetitions when performing the weighted hand to leg AB crunches. Try doing 6-8 reps per side for 2-3 sets in the beginning. As you progress and master the move, you can shoot for 20-25 reps per side for 3-5 sets.

Other Exercises To Use: After doing the weighted hand to leg AB crunches, do overhead abdominal crunches for the middle and upper abdominals, then finger to heel oblique touchers for the obliques. View our extensive database of exercise guides for a comprehensive list of exercises that target the abs.

1. Prev:Barbell Deadlifts – Back Exercise Guide and Photos
2. Next:Abdominal Tuck Crunches – Abs Exercise Guide with Photos