If basic abdominal crunches are too easy for you, here’s a version that you will likely find challenging. It’s called the hanging bat crunch, and it will literally turn your world upside down!

Below is a demonstration from my 60-year old client, John. bat crunch attention to how he gets up to the chin-up bar and then down afterward. Believe it or not, that’s the hardest part for most people.

See how easy he made it look to get into position on the chin-up bar and then back to the ground once he was finished. The power cage is very useful for that. If you don’t have access to a power cage, you can assist yourself by pulling on yoga straps suspended from a chin-up bar on either side of you, or by bat crunch pulling on your thighs.

Start performing the movement by crossing your arms over your chest for a moderate number of reps. Once that becomes easy, position your fingers behind your ears with your elbows flared out as shown in the video. From there, you can progress to loading by holding a dumbbell against your chest.

Insert the hanging bat crunch toward the end of your workout. It makes a great finisher because it targets the abdominals and provides some traction to the lower limbs and spine after all the heavy compound movements have been performed.