You may have heard about people tackling month-long challenges, completing 100 crunches a day, but getting the most out of this exercise requires a “quality over quantity” approach.
Scott recommends performing crunches for a set amount of time, making sure your form is correct and the movement is controlled.
“I tell clients it’s a reverse race,” she says. “If you do fewer, slower reps in that time it can be better because you’re training your muscles by keeping them under tension in these awkward-length positions for longer.”
Start with three sets of 30 to 45 seconds, then try increasing the amount of time you’re working as your core becomes stronger.