Incline bench is great for crunches
It increases the difficulty and benefit of all styles of crunches.
Because my home gym is moderately sized, I am very careful about any investment into larger fitness equipment. I like to have enough space to jump rope, lunge, squat and perform all different exercises without worrying about hitting something. I have purchased a small set of free weights, a medicine ball, resistance bands, yoga mat and jump rope. I felt that inventory of gear was sufficient for a variety of workouts and to target all the different muscle groups. I could incorporate high-impact aerobics, strength training, stretching, static holds and more. I used the yoga mat to perform different styles of abdominal crunches. Since I focus heavily on the area around my waist as well as my tummy, I do a lot of crunches. The yoga mat was not ideal for this. I scraped the skin off the area around my tailbone. It was raw and painful. I did some research and came across the idea of buying an incline bench. The bench doesn’t take up very much space. It can be pushed tight against the wall when not in use. It adjusts to varying degrees of incline and includes a padded seat. It increases the difficulty and benefit of all styles of crunches. I sometimes hook my feet so that my head is closer to the ground and perform standard sit ups. In the same position, I can crunch and perform twisting exercises that contract and work the external oblique muscles. When I hang on with my hands and have my head at the high end of the incline, the exercises focus on the lower abdominal muscles. I’ve noticed an improvement in my muscle tone since adding the incline bench.