KEY AREAS: Upper & middle ABS, Obliques
START POSITION: Sit on a yoga mat, alongside a bench which has a straight edge. Raise both feet up onto the bench and slide your bum forward until the backs of your knees are snug with the bench edge. It is important that your upper legs (thighs) are vertical from knee to hip, and that the bench is not too high – so your hips and bum should be planted firmly on the mat for stability.
Place your hands on your temples (or grab both ears) and point your elbows forwards, but a tiney bit wider flared than for standard straight bench crunches. Many people point their elbows outwards but this is lazy and will create more instability for the lower back.
NOTES: Bench Crunches are a perfect ‘finishing exercise’ at the end of most gym workouts. They form part of the Mojoh Method recommended finishing sequence for ALL levels of ability.
This exercise is very safe for lower back issues, and the difficulty level is easily varied to suit all abilities, but as with all ABS exercises, if this exercise is not performed correctly then there is an increased risk of injury for the lower back region.
However, building strength in abdominal muscles is an important part of recovery from lower back issues. It follows that when using gym exercises to promote recovery from back issues, good form is paramount. Get it wrong and you will just make things worse.