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Top 10 Questions About Abdominal Exercises

By Elizabeth Quinn, About.com

Updated: May 12, 2008

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board

6 of 10

Question: How High Should I Lift Up During a Basic Crunch?

Crunch Exercise

Crunch Exercise

E. Quinn
Answer: When performing the basic crunch exercise lift up until your shoulder blades come off the floor. Research shows that the abdominal muscles can flex the spinal column to about 30 to 45 degrees of movement. Beyond 30 degrees, the powerful hip flexors are activated to a higher degree than the abs. Because this is a relatively small range of motion, it's helpful to perform many repetitions of the basic crunch to get a full ab workout or to add additional ab exercises.
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