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The move that will separate your beach body from the rest

Sculpt next-level abs with this serratus crunch variation.

serratus crunch

That's great—while aesthetically impressive, a chiseled core comes in handy for a whole range of things, from injury prevention to greater athletic performance across the board—but if you're looking to really stand out when the shirts come off, you can't just do the same exercises everyone else is doing.

More specifically, you need to broaden your focus to hit those lesser-worked core muscles—the ones that surround your six pack (or, at least, the area where you expect your six-pack will soon surface).

The serratus anterior muscles, sometimes referred to as 'boxer’s muscles,' are those long, fingerlike muscles that run diagonally along the sides of your ribs.

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These muscles protect the ribs and support shoulder movement. They're also one of the key differences between a 'pretty good' body and an elite physique.

Two-time Golden Glove champion and creator of the FitMatch app Ngo Okafor dropped by the Men’s Health Rec Room to demonstrate an affective way to give these oft-neglected muscles some love.

In the video above, Okafor demonstrates the serratus crunch using a stability disc.

The addition of the disc removes your hip flexors from the equation (they like to help out your abs) to more effectively target your core, Okafor says.

Okafor performs the move using a slam ball, but a medicine ball or even a set of dumbbells will deliver the same results. More important is remembering to use proper form—keeping your arms as close to perpendicular with the floor as possible, and reaching peak contraction in your core at the top of each rep.

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For the best results, Okafor recommends hitting this exercise at least three times a week for four sets of 20 reps.

Have questions about the move? Want to show off your Golden Gloves-level serratus anteriors?

Share your photos and videos with us (@menshealthmag) and Okafor (@catchngo) on social media, and remember to include the hashtag #MHRecRoom.

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