Q&A for How to Do Reverse Crunches

It's not really your stomach that's hurting, it's your abdominal muscles. They're letting you know that they're working. It's normal for all abdomen exercises.

Start small - you don't want to overexert yourself. If you aren't in good shape, I would start out with three sets of 10 reverse crunches. If you think you can continue after that, then keep going. Stop when you feel like you can no longer complete the exercises. Each day, try to increase the number of crunches you are able to complete.

Abdominal exercises shouldn't stunt your growth. Just focus on keeping your whole body in great shape and train as much as you can to get better at basketball, and you will eventually reach the level you want. (Word of warning, though: Make sure to train both your stomach and back. I once over-trained my stomach because I wanted a six-pack, and it caused my lower back to hurt because my stomach muscles were pulling harder than my back muscles.)

For better results, do it in high temperatures. This allows you to sweat off water in your body, causing weight loss. Just know that: 1. It can lead to dehydration. 2. If not done daily, then the weight loss will only be temporary as you will get all that water back.

Yes. This will burn calories, which can help in reaching a caloric deficit, the primary force behind the burning of fat from your body.

Yes, you can.

For any abdominal workout, either lay on your front with your hands underneath your shoulders and push up into a cobra stretch (and don't forget to then go into child's pose), or lay on your back and stretch your arms above your head and your feet in the opposite direction.

Start by lying flat on your back on the ground with your legs fully extended. Place your arms along the sides of your body with your palms pressing into the floor so you feel nice and stable. When you're ready to perform the movement, contract your abdominal muscles, bend your knees, and raise them toward your head while keeping your back flat on the ground. Then, return your feet back to the ground with control. As you get stronger and better at the movement, try raising your knees up to the ceiling when you lift them toward your head for an extra challenge.

If you do them correctly, there's no reason you should feel any pain or discomfort from doing reverse crunches. Make sure you keep your back flat on the ground and don't lift your neck, which can put pressure on your spine. If you have hip or knee pain, bend your knees when you're doing the reverse crunch so there isn't any strain on your joints. For even more comfort, do reverse crunches on a padded mat or a yoga mat so there's some cushion beneath you.

Absolutely! Crunches are a great way to build up your abdominis rectus, which are the classic "six-pack" muscles in the center of your abdomen. However, doing only crunches won't be enough to give you revealing abs. You need to do full body exercises to burn calories, follow a healthy diet, and take in fewer calories than you put out so your body sheds fat to reveal your ripped abs.

It will work without a yoga mat. I've done reverse crunches on carpet as well as on those puzzle piece mats that are found in martial arts training centers. They all work fine.

Yes, you should feel your core engage when you do this exercise. That means you are doing them correctly.