Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and both arms extended straight up toward the ceiling. Crunch your head and shoulders off the floor, reaching your hands higher toward the ceiling with every rep - straight up, not forward toward your knees - then lower back down with control. The vertical reach keeps the movement short and honest: no pulling on the neck, no momentum, just your abs pushing your fingertips a little closer to the ceiling.

Works: abs

Breathing: Exhale as you crunch and reach up, inhale as you lower back down.

Common Mistakes: Reaching forward toward the knees instead of straight up, jutting the chin toward the ceiling and straining the neck, and letting the arms drift back overhead between reps.

Make Easier: Shorten the reach and slow the tempo, or drop the arms and build up with regular Crunches first.

Make Harder: Pause for a two-count at the top of every reach, or move on to Sit-Ups or Butterfly Sit-Ups.