Reach and Crunch

Another way to tighten your core!

There are so many different exercises that you can do to target your core. That’s part of what makes training the core so interesting (or annoying lol) 

The human body is flexible and can move in so many ways, which means there are countless ways to train and that of course goes for your core as well.

We typically think of crunches or sit ups when we think about abdominal exercises. If we’re feeling fancy we might even throw in some planks. 

This Reach and Crunch exercise is a great way to mix up your core workouts with a different movement and range of motion.

This exercise forces you to work on your balance by incorporating your core in a very unique way. By balancing on opposite limbs, you create a new dynamic that makes your core engage in a much different way.

Remember, your core is more than “abs”, it also includes you obliques, and lower back. In order to build strength, have better range of motion and overall better health, it’s important to target those muscles as well.

If you can incorporate them all at the same time, like with this exercise, then you are performing a more functional movement because we generally use those muscles all at once anyway. 

Give this exercise a try and see how it goes.

1. Begin on the floor on your hands and knees.

2. Engage your core and slowly extend your left arm and your right leg

3. Pause and hold the position for a 1 count

4. Slowly return to the starting position

5. Repeat the same motion with your right arm and left leg

6. Doing both sides counts as one rep

Tip 1: Try and keep your arm and leg at the same height while keeping them both parallel to the ground