what are cruchies and dead bugs H?
Hey bliss, this is the dead bugs exercise:
- Lay on back, bring both knees and arms up 90 degrees to the ground
- Stretch one leg out without touching the ground.
- Simultaneously stretch the opposite arm in the opposite direction.
- Once you reach as far as you can, bring the arm/leg back and do the same with the other arm/leg
- Repeat
Should be done without dropping your feet to the floor. Start slowly - I did 3 repetitions of 5 at first, then upped it to the point where I do (now) about 3 repetitions of 30. It is a great core exercise.
Stomach crunches are situps with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, only lift your upper body as far as lifting your shoulders slightly off the ground. They are meant to get the best of a situp, the core work, without putting the stress on your back that a traditional situp does.
In the case of crunches, I find it best to be light on your neck support, not use your hands to pull on your head/neck, and to choose a focus point about 45 degrees in front of you, then keep your eyes on that, allowing your neck to move while focusing. For me, this avoids neck aches / cricks from straining the neck while doing these.
Again, the number of these is not important, just strengthening your core. Do them at a medium pace, allowing your muscles to work. The more you do, the more you can do, little by little.
I've been doing them for a lot of years, but a good target initially is 3 sets of 10. An old girlfriend who got her black belt with me would do 400 to warm down after a workout. Amazing.
Go easy with any of these exercises, especially if you haven't done them before. Think of them as long term habits.