Core Exercise: Elbow to Knee Crunch

Exercise: Elbow to Knee Crunch
Equipment: No equipment
Movement Type: Core
Body Focus: Total Body

Lie flat on your back on the floor/mat in a bent-knee position with your feet placed firmly on the floor and your fingertips on your temples. Draw the abs in, brace the lower back, then lift both feet off the floor moving your knees towards your trunk until your thighs align vertically to the floor
(90-degree angle at the hips). Maintain a 90-degree bend at the knee and relax your feet, allowing them to point away from your body. Lift one shoulder and bring the opposite elbow to the knee across the body. Hold this up-position briefly for 1 – 2 seconds then slowly return to your starting position and repeat the movement to the opposite side.
Important points to consider while performing this movement:
• Perform this exercise in a slow, controlled manner
• Do not pull forward on your head during the trunk curl.
Support your head in your hands while maintaining alignment of your head with your thoracic (upper) spine.
• During the upward and downward movement of your trunk, it is important to keep your low back pressed into the floor/mat.
• The rotation should come from your trunk and not your hips. While your legs drive forward and backward in a straight line, your trunk will flex (curl) and rotate.

To maximize the benefits of this exercise and reduce the potential for injury, make sure you control movement speed and monitor changes in your lower back carefully.