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The vertical leg crunch is an abdominal exercise that focuses on boosting strength and muscle endurance. This exercise is an advanced version of the basic crunch, and you should aim at mastering the basic movement before moving to this pose.
If you’re able to do this exercise, you must make it a part of your regular abdominal exercise routine. The intensity of this exercise will depend on what your abs routine looks like.
Correct Form of Doing Vertical Leg Crunch
Lie flat on a mat with your hands behind your head. Your lower spine should be completely flat on the mat.
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Extend your legs upwards so that they're perpendicular to the body. You should maintain a slight bend on your knees. Once you’ve reached this position, contract your abs, and curl your upper body. Begin by lifting your shoulder blades off the floor and using your core muscles to pull yourself upwards.
Ensure to keep your body stable while you’re performing the crunch. Hold the crunch for a second or two at the top of the motion before curling backwards towards the floor. The descent should be slow and controlled. Repeat this movement at least 15 times for sets of three or four.
Tips for Doing Vertical Leg Crunch Better
When you’re doing this exercise, ensure that you do not pull from your neck or head. You should keep your hands behind your neck only for support.
Your legs should be stable. Don’t sway them from one side to another. Additionally, when you’re uncurling, you shouldn’t allow your body to crash on the mat. Instead, make it a controlled motion. That'll enable you to control the negative and work more on the core muscles.
Finally, control your breathing. You need to inhale before curling your body upwards, and exhale while you’re doing it. Inhale when you’re ready to curl backwards, and exhale while doing so. It’s important to learn how to control your breathing for every exercise.
Benefits of Doing Vertical Leg Crunch
This exercise focuses on the core muscles, especially the ones that are used during crunches. Moreover, the vertical leg crunches focus on both external and internal obliques as well.
One of the key reasons you should focus on building core strength is that it’ll give your metabolism a boost. Not only will you burn calories while doing this exercise, but you'll also burn calories throughout the day.
The vertical leg crunch focuses on improving your balance and stability by allowing your spine to be a part of the movement.
Common Mistakes
If you want to master the vertical leg crunch, here are some of the common mistakes you should look to avoid:
Moving Your Legs
As mentioned erlier, it’s important to keep your legs stable. If you move them around, that'll take the pressure off the core muscles and transfer it on to your hips.
You want to keep your hips as stable as possible so that you avoid straining your back and shifting pressure from the abdominal muscles.
Using Body’s Momentum
When you’re doing this exercise, it’s easy to let the head and neck momentum take control of the curl. You should consciously avoid that, and use the move as the abdominal muscles contract. Do not allow your body to curl upwards using its momentum.
