Crossover Crunch

The Crossover Crunch is an abdominal exercise that, like so many others, takes its cues from the original floor crunch. The Crossover Crunch, like the original crunch, is said to be useful for working to flatten belly muscles throughout the midsection, but some say it may be particularly worthwhile for people who wish to work on strengthening and toning the muscles on the side of the abdomen. These are known as oblique muscles.

To perform a Crossover Crunch, the individual begins with a normal crunch position. He or she lies on the floor with back flat and knees bent. However, the legs do not stay in the normal crunch position. Rather, the individual crosses one leg over the other so that this leg’s ankle lies across the other leg’s thigh. Then, when the crunch is performed the individual does not merely curl up in a straightforward manner. Instead, he or she twists the body so that the elbow of the opposite side touches the knee of the crossed leg. Thus, if the right leg is crossed, the torso is twisted so as to touch the left elbow to that knee, and vice versa. The individual repeats a set amount of Crossover Crunches to one side and then switches sides and does the same number that way. Again, the Crossover Crunch could be useful for folks who wish to flatten belly muscles along the sides of their abdomen.