Tuck Crunch

Curl up like a cozy bear cub in a den. Tuck your knees in as you crunch, bringing ribs and hips closer together to wake up your tummy muscles. Move smoothly, keep your neck relaxed, and make each rep a snug little squeeze rather than a wild flail.

Instructions

1. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet lifted so hips and knees are about 90 degrees.
2. Place hands lightly behind your head or cross arms over your chest.
3. Brace your core and gently press your lower back toward the floor.
4. Exhale and crunch your shoulders up while simultaneously tucking knees toward your chest.
5. Pause briefly at the top with a controlled squeeze.
6. Inhale and slowly return to the start without letting your lower back arch.

Benefits

• Builds strength and endurance in the rectus abdominis
• Trains coordinated trunk flexion and posterior pelvic tilt control
• Improves core bracing awareness and spinal control
• Requires no equipment and minimal space

Key Points

• Exhale on the tuck and crunch to improve core engagement.
• Keep the neck neutral; lead with the ribcage, not the chin.
• Move slowly and avoid using momentum.
• Maintain lower-back contact with the floor as much as possible.
• Bring ribs toward hips rather than yanking knees with the hip flexors.

Common Mistakes

• Pulling on the head or jutting the chin forward
• Swinging the legs and using momentum instead of the abs
• Letting the lower back arch off the floor
• Rushing reps and skipping control on the way down
• Turning it into a hip-flexor dominant knee tuck