Crunches and Push-Ups

Yep, you know them, you love them, you can't live without them. The ever popular crunch and push-up. I know what you're thinking, these are simple exercises, give me something better! But there are so many variations that you can do that will work so many different areas at the same time! And if you're not able to do the variations or more extreme exercises, these are a great place to start.

Basic crunches are done with you lying on your back, knees bent, your feet on the floor, and your hands behind your head. Many people will do crunches and put too much strain on their neck which, in turn, puts too much pressure on your spine and back. To do them correctly, don't curl in as you crunch up. Instead, pull with your chin. Act as if you are trying to get your chin to touch the ceiling. Doing so helps to keep you from pulling at your neck and keeps your upper torso more aligned. Try it! You'll notice the difference immediately!

Want something a little more intense than the basic crunch? Try one of these:

Bicycle Crunches - Lying on your back, with your hands behind your head, bend your legs to make a right angle. As you crunch up, bring your right elbow to meet your left knee. Return to start. Next, bring your left elbow to meet your right knee. Return to start. Repeat in this fashion in sets of 1 minute.

Pike Crunch - Lie on your back, with your legs straight out in front of you and your arms at your side. Exhale as you bring your legs up to a 45 degree angle, keeping your legs straight. At the same time, crunch up and extend your arms toward your feet. Return to start and repeat.

Push-ups are something where technique is constantly being criticized, and the appropriate way to perform changes from one trainer to the next. But here are some basics that you need to understand about the push-up.

Push-ups are done by lying face down on the ground with your legs together. Place your hands, palm down, out to the sides of your chest, and position them so they are directly under your elbows. With your arms straight and resting on the balls of your feet, keep your back straight as you lower your body to the ground until your arms create a 90 degree angle (right angle) at the elbows. Return to start and repeat.

Need something a little more difficult than the basic push-up? Try one of these:

Plyo Push-Ups - Performed almost in the same manner as the basic push-up with one exception. Instead of merely pushing your body back up into the start position, push yourself up with an explosive burst, lifting your hands off the floor and clapping them together before landing back in the push-up position. Repeat.

Traveling Push-Ups - Start as you would a basic push-up. Thinking of your head and arms as being at 12 o'clock, and your feet being at 6 o'clock, perform a regular push-up. When you get back to start, bring your left hand to meet your right hand, and move your body (NOT YOUR FEET!) to the 2 o'clock position. Do a push-up. Return to 12 o'clock. Do a push-up. Now, bring your right hand to meet your left hand and move your body to the 10 o'clock position. Do a push-up. Return to 12 o'clock. Repeat this pattern: 12 o'clock, 2 o'clock, 12 o'clock, 10 o'clock. Continue for a pre-determined number of reps or time limit.

Is a regular push-up too much for you to start with? It was for me, too! Try this!

Wall Push-Up - Stand approximately 2-3 feet away from a wall. With your feet together, position your hands on the wall so they are to the sides of your chest, and your hands are directly under your elbows. Putting all your weight to your arms and balls of your feet, lower yourself toward the wall until your arms make a right angle at the elbows. Return to start and repeat.

Simple exercises with different variations. Now, no matter where you go, you can always try out something new and get a different burn than just the basic crunch and push-up!