The cradle for crunches is a device for exercising the abdominal muscles. It relieves the spine and helps isolate the ABS muscles. The effects of cradle exercises include: strengthening and sculpting the abdomen. Check out how to exercise with a sit-up cradle for best results.

What does a cradle for crunches look like? Types of cradles

The cradle for crunches is a piece of a curved, oval bar with a visible place for the head to be placed, and we rest it on the floor. The same horizontal bar is at the top - you have to grab it when you perform the exercise. There is also another type of cradle available on the market, in which the poles are located separately on both sides of the cradle and are arranged vertically (not connected at the top).

If we want to work harder on the belly, we can choose the variant of the cradle for bellies with weight and resistance rubbers. Then the weight is placed behind our head, and the resistance rubbers are attached to the feet. If we feel pain in the lumbar region while doing sit-ups, we can use a cradle for crunches with a special pillow for the back or a training mat attached to the cradle.

See also: Exercises to soothe lower back pain

How does a cradle for sit-ups work?

The cradle for crunches imitates the performance of traditional crunches, with the slight difference that the hands are not clasped behind the head, but hold the handles or handles located above the body or on the sides. The cradle, thanks to its structure, cooperates with our body. When you perform a contraction of the abdomen, the lower bar rises together with the upper back. The rest of the body becomes immobilized and rests on the ground. Thanks to the comfortable design, only the abdomen remains tense, relieving the neck and upper vertebrae of the spine.

The cradle for crunchesis intended for people who want to strengthen their abdominal muscles and at the same time have problems with traditional lifts, e.g. due to pain in the cervical spine. Often, when doing ordinary sit-ups, we unnecessarily pull the head too much, thus straining the neck and vertebrae. This causes discomfort and can even lead to permanent damage to the cervical vertebrae. By exercising with the cradle, we reduce the risk of injury in these areas.

The cradlefor crunches is a helpful device for people who want to strengthen the abdomen and maintain a he althy spine at the same time.

How to exercise with a cradle to sit-ups?

In the video you will learn about different variants of abdominal muscle exercises with a cradle.

  • Ordinary crunches- lie under the bar, put your head on the support, bend your legs at the knees, grab the upper bar with your hands (put your hands close together) and fasten while rolling the cradle . Make sure your lower back is firmly against the ground.
  • Inverted crunches- lift your bent legs while directing your knees towards your chest. The upper body remains stationary with the cradle.
  • Oblique crunches- keep your knees bent, bring your legs together and place them sideways on the floor. In this position, raise your upper body as you roll the cradle. Repeat the exercise on both sides.
  • Crunches with knee pulls- make a cradle clamp while taking your feet off the ground and pulling your knees towards the top bar.

How often do I exercise with a cradle to crunches?

Beginner

  • If you are a beginner, you should do cradle exercises every other day. This is often enough to get results, but it is also an appropriate training regimen to let your muscles rest and grow taller.
  • Always perform the maximum number of repetitions in a given series. Everyone is different, so do not be influenced by ready-made workouts, but adjust the repetition limit yourself to your abilities. However, try to do at least 15 sit-ups in one set. Do 3 or 4 of these sets at the beginning. Rest for about 30 seconds. In each series, you can use different variants of exercises shown in the video.
  • The abdominal muscles grow when they are tightened to the maximum. Do not let them fully relax during exercise and do not rest for too long.

Intermediate and advanced person

  • If you can do about 3 sets of sit-ups, now you can go up to 5 sets with a minimum of 20 repetitions. The interval between sets may be reduced to 10-15 seconds. The abdominal muscles are really very resistant to effort and durable, which is their great advantage, but also a real challenge for the exerciser who wants to strengthen and shape them.
  • You can do the abdominal cradle exercises after each training session or on separate training days, even every day, but remember that this is an advanced version. You have to observe your own progress and judge for yourself how much you are inable to exercise. Remember that the abdominal muscles, despite their endurance, also need rest, because that's when the muscles grow. Focus more on the quality of your abs workouts rather than the quantity.

The effects of exercises with a cradle to crunches

Exercises with a cradle to crunches primarily sculpt the abdominal muscles. However, the training effects are largely up to you. Success depends primarily on how many times a week you train and whether it is properly selected for you. In order for the cradle to sit up to work, you need to be diligent. If you take care of it, the effects of exercises with a cradle to sit-ups will be visible even after the first week.

The cradle for crunches is not recommended for people who want to burn fat from around the waist. For the reduction of body fat, you need to use cardio or interval training. By doing crunches, we will only model the belly.

This will be useful to you

Is it worth buying a cradle for crunches? Advantages and disadvantages of the device

  • Advantages:the cradle perfectly shapes the abdominal muscles and relieves the spine. It is also recommended during rehabilitation, e.g. in diseases of the spine. It is worth buying a cradle for crunches when we have problems with back and neck.
  • Disadvantages:the biggest disadvantage of the cradle (and probably the only one) is the fact that it strongly isolates the abdominal muscles and excludes the rest of the body muscles from work, which reduces the exercise volume, so it can result in, for example, you burn less calories during exercise. However, this is both a downside and an advantage as different people have different training goals. For those who want to isolate their abdominal muscles more and improve the shape of specific ABS parts, a crunch cradle is a great option.

It is worth buying a cradle for abdominal exercises, if it is really necessary for us, and we do not want to give up exercises for the abdominal muscles. Its purchase is also recommended when we simply want to try something new, in a form that is more convenient for us. However, it is not necessary to buy a cradle for crunches. If you are good at abdominal exercises, you don't need any additional equipment.

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ABC of exercises