The desire to have a flat, firm stomach is equally characteristic of both men and women. Not everyone can boast of this part of their body, and everyone who has ever tried to pump up their abs knows perfectly well what Herculean efforts this activity requires. What exercises should not be neglected and how best to do it on the press bench will be outlined below.
What is this simulator?
An ab bench is also called a board. This sports equipment, which can be found in absolutely all gyms. 
There are several types of this design:
- straight bench with adjustable inclination angle, this is the most common option, allows you to increase or decrease the inclination of the board, thus increasing or decreasing the load on the abdominal wall;
- curved bench. This apparatus has a curved back, this is necessary in order to additionally load the abdominal muscles;
- Roman- this board with a small seat and leg grip provides no back support.
Important! If a board is purchased for home training by an untrained person, it is recommended to give preference to a simpler and more versatile option - a straight bench.
A set of exercises on an incline bench for the press
So, in order to pump up the abdominal muscles, you need to figure out which exercises are responsible for working out each of them; for this, it is suggested that you familiarize yourself with the standard set of abdominal exercises performed on a bench. 
The training is performed on an inclined board and involves a full rise of the body; the angle for performing the exercise is selected individually, based on the goals and preparedness of the athlete.
You need to sit on the apparatus, lying on your back, so that your legs are fixed in a special grip, your hands are behind your head.
Did you know? The opinion about the possibility of pumping up the “upper” and “lower” abs separately is wrong. This is a single solid muscle that works and is loaded completely and simultaneously.
As you exhale, first the head comes off the bench, then the shoulders and shoulder blades, the body reaches 90 degrees relative to the position of the legs, a delay is made at the top point for 2-3 seconds, after which, as you exhale, the torso returns to its original position.
The movement is carried out due to the efforts of the press, and not the muscles of the neck and legs. Repeat 3 sets of 25 times. In this case, the main load falls on top part 
rectus abdominis muscle.
This type of load is also known as “crunch”, from the English “to twist”. To pump up your abs with this exercise, you can use an incline bench or any other horizontal surface.
During training, only the upper body comes off the surface: the head, shoulders, shoulder blades, while the lower back and pelvis remain pressed and motionless.
Important!Crunches can be straight or with a twist of the body. The first ones act directly on the rectus abdominal muscle, while the rotary ones act on the oblique muscles of this area.
During the upward jerk, you should not clasp your hands behind your head and pull your head forward with them, as this can lead to overload of the cervical spine.
To perform twist crunches, you need to lie with your back on the board, fix your feet, and put your hands behind your head. Then, as you exhale, lift your upper body from the surface and with the elbow of one of your hands reach for the opposite knee, and as you exhale, return to the starting position. 
Turns can be done either one by one, changing sides, or by a full approach to each side. The exercise is done in 3 sets of 20 repetitions for each knee.
This type of load is familiar to many from childhood, from school physical education lessons. The “bicycle” exercise very effectively works the lower section of the rectus abdominis muscle.
To perform this, you need to lie on the bench in reverse, so that you can hold on to the leg clamps with your hands, then raise your legs 90 degrees relative to the surface and, bending and unbending your knees, make circular movements that imitate the pedaling of a bicycle.
This is a simplified version of the “bicycle”, and the lower part of the abs also takes an active part in it.
Having taken the starting position described in the previous exercise, you need to exhale, tensing your abs, raise your legs to a right angle with your body, stay in this position for 3 seconds, then inhale and lower your legs down, without relaxing them until the end of the approach. 
Number of repetitions 3 x 25 times.
Rules for performing exercises
Did you know? The number of abs desired by many is an individual feature of an individual person and depends on the anatomy of the rectus muscle. Usually there are 3 or 4 of them on each side.
To know exactly how to exercise correctly for better efficiency, just follow simple rules:
- classes should be held regularly, at least 3-4 times a week with a mandatory break for recovery;
- mandatory warming up of muscles before training. If exercises are included in the overall program, they must be performed at the very end;
- in order to lose weight in the abdominal area, in addition to abdominal exercises, aerobic exercise and adherence to a strict diet without exceeding the daily calorie intake are required;
- Rest between sets should last no more than 20 seconds.
Abdominal exercises: video
Typical beginner mistakes
As you know, whoever does not make mistakes does not achieve success. However, when it comes to physical activity, this pattern will do more harm than good.
Before you start pumping up your abs, it is important to carefully study the technique, as well as the most common mistakes in performing the exercises:
- holding your breath while working. This should absolutely not be done, because a lack of oxygen not only reduces the effectiveness of training, but also harms the brain and nervous system;
- lifting the lower back off the surface or bending the body too much. This action is fraught with excessive stress on the hip joints;
- overload. This mistake is very often made by beginners, coupled with a violation of technique. Do not exceed the recommended number of repetitions until the load becomes noticeably light. The intensity of training should increase as endurance increases;
- workout on a full stomach. It is very important to remember that you can pump up your abs no earlier than 1 hour after a light snack and 3 hours after a full meal, otherwise nausea and vomiting cannot be avoided.
So, above we discussed the features of using a bench for abdominal training and the main exercises that can be performed on it. This information allows you to understand how to use this projectile correctly so that the load is used for future use and brings the desired result. The abdominal muscles are quite resistant to monotonous load, as they are fully used by the body throughout the day.
They get involved as soon as you wake up and get out of bed, are involved all day in maintaining good posture and the ability to sit up straight, plus are actively involved even when you are carrying heavy bags of groceries from the store.
Therefore, among fitness supporters there is no clear point of view on how often you should train your abdominal muscles. Some do it three times a week, others work it almost every day.
One of the most effective exercises that definitely need to be included in your workout list are crunches. incline bench.
What are its main advantages? The fact is that working on an inclined bench significantly reduces the load and, thus, the likelihood of injury, for the lower back than the same twisting on a horizontal surface.
In short, then:
- When performing oblique twists, the lower back is well fixed and pressure on the lower back is reduced. Due to this, you can work out your abdominal muscles as effectively as possible without feeling tired or having back pain, which is very important for those training with lower back problems.
- With this position of the body, the main load during twisting will fall on the abs, not allowing the hip flexor muscle group to be involved in the work.
Well, don’t forget that just working the abdominal muscles will definitely not help you to draw the coveted abs, since the result depends on many factors that influence your body.
These include eating habits, stress levels, genetic predispositions, and so on, and so on, and so on.
What muscles are involved in the exercise?:
- the main load when twisting on an inclined bench falls on the rectus abdominis muscles (those famous 6-pack abs);
- the deep-lying iliopsoas muscle is partially involved (part of the hip flexor muscle block);
- The oblique abdominal muscles also play a small assisting role.
Crunches on an incline bench - execution technique
To get the most out of this exercise, follow the step-by-step guidelines below (or watch the video at the end of the article). This will allow you to follow the correct technique and get the first results after just a few sessions.
Starting position. Set the bench at the optimal incline (the deeper the incline, the more difficult it is to do crunches; beginners start at 20-30 degrees). Sit on the bench and securely support your knees and feet using the soft bolsters of the machine. Arms crossed on chest. Lean back and lie on your back with your lower back pressed firmly against the surface.
Active phase. Slowly raise your head, shoulders and chest , as a single whole, from the bench, without arching the lower back (the lower back remains pressed, there are no gaps between it and the bench). We try with all our might to reach our thighs with our elbows, moving them over our stomach. We fix the position of the body at the point of maximum load for a couple of seconds, additionally contracting the muscles abdominals
. Throughout the entire active phase, we gradually exhale completely.
Reverse phase.
We slowly return to the starting position and, without touching the bench with our back, proceed to the next repetition. In the reverse phase, inhalation occurs.
Duration.
Exercises are performed to the full number of sets and repetitions, for example, 2 - 3 sets, 8 - 12 repetitions (or until the abdominal muscles become tired).
Complexity. As we have already said above, the greater the angle of inclination of the bench, the more intense the load on the abdominal press increases. How else can you make oblique crunches more difficult? In the active phase, you can fold your hands behind your head or fix a dumbbell, a small weight plate (weight selection varies from person to person) or a medicine ball (heavy training ball) in front of you on your chest.
The main “don’ts” that reduce the effectiveness of the exercise include:
1. Perform body lifts instead of crunches, which greatly shifts the load from the target muscles.
2. Move jerkily during the active phase.
3. Arch your lower back and hold your lower back poorly.
4. Raise your elbows up (when your arms are crossed on your chest).
5. Press your chin to your chest.
6. Continue the exercise if lower back pain occurs.
Accordingly, advice and recommendations are born from these disadvantages. What is needed?
1. Strictly adhere to the above technique of performing twists.
2. Perform the exercise at a slow pace (each phase lasts about 3 seconds).
3. Always keep your abdominal muscles tense.
As an additional option, you can try performing oblique twists. In this case, the oblique abdominal muscles actively come into play and receive maximum load. This area is often a problem area for many people.
The technique for performing oblique oblique twists is generally similar to the instructions presented above, but there are significant differences:
- In the starting position, one hand is behind your head, the second palm is pressed to the upper thigh.
- The movement during twisting occurs with an axial rotation of the torso; we try to reach the palm (upper thigh) of the opposite hand with our elbow.
- After 8–12 repetitions, the order of hand placement changes.
A classic exercise for strengthening the abdominal muscles is crunches. And since the muscles quickly get used to the same load, the types of twists should be alternated. One way to vary your workout is to do incline crunches.
What muscles is the exercise aimed at working?
When performing crunches on an incline bench, the abdominal muscles are primarily involved in the work. With classic crunches, the rectus muscles bear the greatest load, but if we perform crunches with rotation, then the emphasis falls on the lateral zones - the serratus and oblique muscles. The work also involves the rectus femoris muscles, which maintain body position and balance.
Roman bench for the press
An inclined (Roman) abdominal bench is one of the simplest exercise machines that can be found in gyms, and can also be purchased for home use, since it is quite inexpensive.
The design of the simulator may vary as shown in the pictures:
- non-adjustable benches: the angle of inclination is fixed and does not change;
- the bench is part of another exercise machine (for example, Swedish wall) or requires additional equipment to secure and change the angle;
- adjustable benches: the angle of inclination varies (the adjustment design may vary from machine to machine).
You should not buy a bench online without checking first, as it may not suit you and may be uncomfortable.
When choosing a bench you should pay attention to:
- The quality and strength of the support frame. A low-grade design will very quickly begin to creak and wobble when performing the exercise.
- The material from which the back upholstery is made. It is better if it is hypoallergenic, since the area of contact with the skin is quite large, and non-slip. Also pay attention to the seams: under load, poorly processed seams will quickly begin to separate. Artificial leather has proven itself to be the most durable material.
- Rollers for securing the legs. They should be soft enough so that there are no bruises or unpleasant sensations during the exercise.
- The maximum user weight allowed for training on the machine.
Incline crunches
Now let's move on directly to the exercises that can be performed on an incline bench. Crunches can be done in the classic way, in which you lift the body straight, or with a turn, when the body moves to the side when lifting.
Please note that incline crunches are contraindicated for people suffering from hypertension, intracranial pressure or frequent migraines.
Technique for performing classic crunches
- We sit on the bench, secure our legs under the bolster and lie down with our whole body - hips, lower back, shoulder blades and head lie on the bench.
- We put our hands behind our heads.
- We take a deep breath and, as we exhale, use the abdominal muscles to lift the upper part of the body. We tear off only the shoulder blades from the bench, the lower back is still pressed to the bench.
- Do not put pressure on your head with your hands; try to lift your body with your abdominal muscles. At the top point, exhale and tense your abs.
- We return to the starting position and relax the muscles.
We perform 3–4 approaches. The number of repetitions may vary depending on how long ago you started exercising: on average, from 8-12 times for a beginner to 15-20 times for an experienced athlete.
Video: correctly pump up the crunch press on a Roman bench
Video on how to properly pump up your abs when performing crunches on an incline bench:
Technique for performing crunches with rotation
- We sit on an inclined bench, fix our shins under the bolster and lie down.
- The shoulder blades, lower back, hips and head lie completely on the surface of the bench.
- Place your palms on the back of your head.
- We take a deep breath and, as we exhale, raise the upper part of the body. The lower back should remain on the bench.
- In this case, the elbow of the right hand tends towards the left knee, and the left elbow - towards the right.
In this version of crunches, primarily the internal and external oblique and serratus abdominal muscles are loaded.
Number of repetitions - 15–20, 3–4 sets.
Video: crunches with rotation on an incline bench
Video of abdominal swing using crunches with rotation on an incline bench:
Other incline abdominal exercises
In addition to the twisting options that we described below, other abdominal exercises are performed on an incline bench - this is a complete lifting of the torso, and not just the upper part.
This exercise also involves the classic version and lifting with a turn.
Technique for performing body raises on an inclined bench
Technique for performing body raises on an inclined bench with rotation
- As in previous versions of the exercise, we sit on a bench and securely fix our legs under the bolsters.
- The back is round, it is most convenient to put your arms behind your head, but you can also stretch them along the body or cross them over your chest.
- As we inhale, we lower ourselves down. There are also two options - either we lie down completely on the bench, or we remain tense and do not touch the surface.
- As you exhale, we rise up, while twisting the body to the right. We exhale as much as possible, hold at the top point for a couple of seconds and lower down. Now we go up and turn left.
Number of repetitions: 15–20 for 4 sets.
Video: Incline sit-ups with rotation
To increase the effectiveness and reduce the risk of injury, it is worth considering a number of nuances.
- The exercise of sit-ups or crunches on an incline bench can be made more difficult by holding a weight in your hands. Usually they take a weight plate or a dumbbell. You can hold the weight behind your head or near your chest.
- For beginners, the bench angle should be 10–15 degrees. You should not do an inclination angle greater than 45 degrees, since blood will actively rush to the head, which can negatively affect your well-being.
- It is important to perform the exercise using the abdominal muscles. Many novice athletes with weak abs and undeveloped body awareness begin to actively help themselves with their legs, as well as with their arms, pulling their head up. This takes some of the load off the stomach; there is no need to do this.
- Don't forget to breathe properly. Many people hold their breath in some phases of the exercise - this only creates unnecessary pressure in the head, which can lead to pain and dizziness.
Which exercise option is better - sit-ups or crunches? It should be noted that with the correct technique, both exercises will be effective. However, it is worth performing both options, for example, alternating them, since the abdominal muscles quickly get used to the same type of load.
Incline crunches are one of the best exercises to work out the abdominal muscles, provided correct technique execution. Read the entire exercise technique in the article.
Target muscles: upper abdominal muscles.
The exercise allows you to work not only the upper abs, but also involves the entire rectus abdominis muscle, oblique muscles, lumbar muscles, and the front surface of the thigh.
Possible variations of crunches on an incline bench:
Want to detailed video all exercise options? Write on YouTube in the comments to the video “I want all the options.”
Incline crunches: video
There are various variations of incline crunches. Can be performed with body rotations, including more oblique abdominal muscles. Can be done with holding and lifting additional weight.
How to do the exercise correctly? Execution technique
- Sit on a bench. Secure your legs tightly under the special bolsters of the bench. Keep the body vertical. Palms of hands near temples. This will be the starting position.
- Lower your body down until it is parallel to the floor. Inhale as you go down.
- From the bottom position, start doing body twists, lifting your body up to the highest possible position. Try to twist the shoulder girdle in an arc towards the pelvis, while simultaneously lifting. At the end of the movement, exhale completely.
- Repeat the movement 15 times for 3 sets.
Application of the exercise
For whom. Girls and men of any level of training.
When. Incline crunches should be done at the beginning or end of your workout. After crunches, you can do another exercise - hanging knee raises.
How many. The exercise should be done in 3 sets of 15-20 repetitions. It is recommended to rest for about 60 seconds between sets of abdominal muscles.
Possible options for performing crunches on an incline bench
Crunches with twists help to work the obliques more. It is performed, in contrast to straight twists, with body rotations. You can do it alternately or alternately.
At the top of the exercise's range of motion, try to reach your left elbow toward your right knee as you turn to the right. And vice versa, with the right elbow to the left knee when twisting to the left.
If the load of your own weight is not enough, you can complicate the exercise. Take a barbell plate and hold it behind your head and in front of you. Choose the position of the pancake as convenient for you. If the pancake is behind your head, the load is greater, if it is in front of you, the load is correspondingly less.
This variation of twisting helps to complicate the usual movements. Also includes the shoulder muscles. You can do it simply by raising your arms. And you can hold additional weight.
With this method of performing the exercise, the abdominal muscles are activated more under static load, and contraction practically does not occur. The front of the thigh takes a significant percentage of the load.
Advice! To diversify your training program, you can try alternating the option with lifts. But the main version of crunches on an incline bench will be more effective for abs.
Shortened range of motion, suitable for peak activation of the four upper abs.
Performed while lying on a bench. Twisting occurs only due to the thoracic region. Keep your neck straight, look ahead.
If you need a detailed video of all exercise options? Write to YouTube in the comments to the video posted at the beginning of the article.
- When your arms are held in front of you, the load is lighter. When your hands are behind your head it is more difficult.
- Concentrate on crunches rather than lifts. To master crunches faster, touch your upper abs with your fingers. Check their correct operation while twisting. The muscles must contract.
- Make movements in an arc. Imagine that shoulder girdle it is necessary to bring it as close as possible to the pelvis.
- Perform movements smoothly, lifting 2 times faster than lowering.
- Breathe correctly. Very important! Breathing plays almost a key role in any twisting. Lower yourself down only after exhaling completely in the upper body position.
Basic mistakes
- Full lowering of the body. Go no lower than your body is parallel to the floor. Full lowering can injure the back in the lumbar region.
- Perform crunches, not lifts. Many people do sit-ups and don’t feel the abdominal muscles working. Do crunches by flexing your spine. When the back is straight, the abdominal muscles work only in static tension.
- Jerks and holding your breath. Make smooth, clear movements and breathe correctly.
Incline crunches are one of the most effective exercises for pumping up your abs. It forces the rectus abdominis, external and internal oblique abdominal muscles to work simultaneously. We will discuss in this article how to perform it correctly and what mistakes should be avoided.
Kinds
Let's look at the technique of the exercise; the exercise is considered not dangerous, but for it to be effective, the technique must be perfect.
Classic
Lie down on an incline bench with your legs firmly and comfortably secured. Place your hands behind your head, elbows pointing inward; if curling your hands is uncomfortable, you can use a towel. Watch your neck; there should be no stress on it from your hands. Press your lower back tightly against the bench to isolate your abdominal muscles. This is the starting position.
As you exhale, begin twisting while lifting your shoulders off the bench, while pressing your lower back into the bench as hard as possible.
Make sure your shoulders rise no more than 15 centimeters from the bench. At the end of the movement, tighten your abdominal muscles as much as possible and return to the starting position.
The legs can be kept straight or bent. Make sure that there is no traumatic load on the lower spine and rectus back muscles. You can also use various weights to complicate the training process and increase the load on the abdominal muscles.
What muscles are involved?
Our abdominal region consists of 3 types of main muscles. These are the serratus abdominis, external obliques and rectus abdominis. Remember, there are no separate top and lower cubes The press is all one muscle, and the desired cubes are its surface and a sign of good training, they are visible with a low percentage of fat and good physical shape.
Also, during crunches, the lower back muscles work in a static mode; some call them the lumbar columns; they fix our lower back on the bench.
Oblique crunches
There is also a variant of oblique crunches, which allows you to effectively work out the serratus abdominal muscles and oblique abdominal muscles. The exercise technique and its complexity are suitable for all types of fitness, whether beginners or professionals.
Lie down on an incline bench with your feet firmly and securely in the supports. Place one hand on the back of your head, the other on your thigh. This is the starting position. Begin twisting your upper body, working your way up and to the side, twisting your torso until your elbow touches your opposite knee. Slowly return to the starting position. Perform the exercise the required number of times.
While performing the exercise, do not hold your breath, and perform all movements slowly, keeping your abdominal muscles tense. It is important to feel the load.
Common mistakes
At first glance, crunching on an incline bench is an elementary exercise, but even with it you can make many mistakes that can harm your health and worsen the quality of the training process.
First mistake
This is a clasp of hands behind the head. Why is this dangerous, you think? It's all about the biomechanical processes of our body. When performing crunches, we tense the right part of the body, thereby involuntarily giving force impulses to the arms, while the arms will try to push us upward.
The neck will take an unnatural position and due to this you can get injuries such as a pinched nerve, injury to the cervical vertebrae, or curvature of the upper spine. These are the most common injuries.
Second
While performing crunches, you may be familiar with it from your school desk, or rather, from physical education lessons. This is to lift your lower back off while performing an exercise. We're all used to doing abs on the beam, using the full range of our body, thereby providing excellent abs, but recent studies have shown that basic sit-ups can be detrimental to our spine.
The thing is that due to body weight, an unwanted load occurs on spinal column, and with frequent performance of this exercise, a deterioration in the condition of the subjects was noticed. Therefore, twisting has been proposed as a worthy alternative that has positive qualities and does not affect the spine.
Also, you should not allow sudden jerks in movements, strongly twist your body to the sides, or perform exercises while slouching.
Third
An error that can harm the training process is not correct breathing. Holding your breath causes a lack of oxygen in our body. During exercise, our muscles use oxygen as one of the types of fuel, so we need to breathe while twisting, inhale, while returning to the starting position, exhale.
Proper breathing also normalizes blood pressure. Because when doing crunches on an incline bench, our heart has to pump blood up and down. Therefore, due to improper breathing and its delay, you may begin to feel dizzy, have attacks of nausea, increased blood pressure and other negative consequences.
Making classes more difficult
Complications are often used in athletic gymnastics, cross-fit and fitness.
An exercise such as incline crunches can be made more difficult as the abdominal muscles adapt to the load over time. Therefore, you can train your abs every other day, and as a complication, use adding weight and changing the angle of the bench.
To select weights, use any objects that can be held in your hands; this could be a barbell or a medicine ball, or a stack of books if training takes place at home.
How to choose optimal weight burdens. The weight of the weight can be selected using a simple test; you need to do 20-30 crunches with weights; if you do not feel a burning sensation in the muscles, then you can add weight.
The angle of inclination can make it more difficult to perform crunches by increasing the amplitude; the lower your starting position, the more difficult the repetitions are for you.
Professionals use a wide angle and well-chosen weights.
- If you have a hard time doing crunches, bend your knees a little, thereby you can reduce the static load on your abs.
- If you want to give static tension, then keep your legs straight.
- Also, to apply static tension to the abdominal muscles, you can raise and hold your arms above your head, thereby you will stretch the muscles well and they will be tense.
Reverse crunches
Reverse crunches or incline leg raises. Universal exercise to work the lower section of the rectus abdominal muscle. It also has a beneficial effect on the lumbar region.
Exercise technique
You need to lie on an inclined bench, feet down. Hold the bench tightly with your hands and try not to slide down the bench. Keep your abdominal muscles tense. Raise your legs and bend your knees slightly. This is the starting position.
Trying to touch your knees to your chest, lift your legs, lifting your pelvis off the bench. Hold the position for 2 seconds and return to the starting position. Beginners can do this exercise on a straight bench. To complicate matters, you can use .
