Performing exercises in a vertical position allow you to work all the abdominal muscles and avoid possible damage to other areas of the body. Learn about all the benefits of standing crunches and start practicing them at home.
Standing crunches (or vertical crunches or vertical core) serve to strengthen the abdominal area and are performed in a standing position. Being done standing up, they are more versatile than lying down crunches.
With the latter, we can achieve greater muscle contraction, but they have other disadvantages and more physical space is needed to carry them out.
Why are standing crunches so effective?
They are very common in functional training, which includes exercises that enhance the movement patterns that we carry out in our day to day.
Standing crunches offer a number of benefits:
- Practical for daily life. Being functional exercises, they make us be in a more natural posture and are very useful for any daily activities, such as climbing stairs or bending down.
- They reduce abdominal fat. Several scientific societies maintain that these exercises help reduce the waist and eliminate abdominal fat, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
- They prevent injuries. The vertical abdominals are usually less harmful than the traditional ones (or crunch), since the back does not receive any impact.
- Without additional material. Although rubber bands or dumbbells can be used, these exercises can also be done with just the body.
Standing crunches for 10 minutes
You can do them at home, with or without a mat, and they only take 10 minutes a day. Start with this easy routine of 8 standing crunches.
- Pike crunch. Standing with your feet together and your arms extended upwards, raise your right leg while trying to touch it with your hands. Keep your legs, arms, and back straight. Do 20 repetitions with one leg and then with the other.
- Raise knees. As if you were running, but without moving from the site. Raise your knees to hip height. To make it easier for you, lean your body slightly backward. Do two sets of 30 seconds.
- Oblique turn. Standing with your legs a little more than shoulder-width apart, bend your trunk to one side and the other, trying to keep your back straight. The arms must be extended upwards and accompany the movement of the trunk. Do 10 twists on each side.
- Twist the waist. As in the previous exercise, start standing and alternately raise your knees until they touch the elbow on the same side. Keep your back tight to work only your abs. Make 10 turns on each side.
- Lean to the side. Place your left hand on the head and the right arm stretched out next to the trunk. Bend from the waist to the right side, keeping your torso straight and in line with your head. Return to start and repeat 10 times on this side and 10 on the left.
- Side kick. Raise your right leg to hip height while lowering your right elbow down to touch your knee. As you lower your leg, support your right foot and, from there, cross it to the right side, bending your knees to raise your leg again. Do 10 with each leg.
- Kick squat. Standing, do a squat, and, when you are going to get up, raise one leg to the side. Return to the squat position and raise the opposite leg. Do 10 reps on each side.
- Lateral pull. Stand up, legs together, and lift one leg up to your chest, at the same time drop your trunk to the other side. Complete 10 repetitions and do the same on the opposite side. Complete 10 reps on each side for 4 sets.
To keep your balance and do the exercises well, focus on your abdominal area, keep your neck relaxed, work your breathing and avoid rapid or rocking movements.
When you have controlled the routine, give it a little more intensity and perform the exercises with an elastic band.