Try to relax as you look straight up at the ceiling so you’re not holding tension in your shoulders. [3] X Research source If it’s more comfortable, you can lie on a lightly cushioned surface. For example, lie down on a yoga mat or carpeted floor. If you keep your elbows tucked in, your crunches won’t engage your oblique muscles as well. Avoid interlacing your fingers because you’ll be more likely to pull on your neck. This can cause muscle strain or fatigue.

Your knees shouldn’t be knocking together once they’re at a 90-degree angle. Instead, keep space between them.

Your shoulder blades should be raised off the floor so your abs are getting stretched instead of your arms.

Once you get the hang of it, you can smoothly rotate your torso as your elbows touch alternating knees.

It’s okay to adjust the number of crunches you perform for each set. For example, you might prefer to start with 10 crunches per set.

Repeat this crunch in the opposite direction.

Remember to keep your fingers loose instead of locking them so you don’t pull on your neck.

The elevated bicycle crunch is more of a workout for your core muscles since you’re doing a deeper stretch.

This will probably feel like a difficult workout because you’ll be using your muscles to balance while performing the crunch.