Crunch

How to do the crunch

1. Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Place your fingertips lightly at your temples, or cross your arms over your chest.
3. Breathe in and tighten your abs, as if you pull your ribs toward your hips.Breathe
4. Curl your head and shoulders off the floor. Keep your lower back on the mat.
5. Pause for a moment when your shoulder blades are just off the floor.
6. Lower slowly back to the mat without pulling on your neck.

Breathing. Breathe in before you curl up and breathe out as you lift your shoulders. Breathe in again as you lower.

Tips

• Look at the ceiling, not your knees, so your chin does not jam into your chest.
• When the normal crunch gets easy, slow down each rep before you add more reps.

Muscles worked

The crunch works mainly the abs.

Sets, reps and rest

These numbers come from the same rules as the Oh My Coach app. Use a load that leaves 1 to 3 reps in reserve. When you reach the top of the range in every set, add a little load or move to the harder version (double progression). What is double progression?

Common mistakes

• Pulling on your neck

  Why it matters: Your hands do the lift, so the neck bends hard and the abs do less work.

  Fix: Keep your fingertips light on your temples. Imagine an apple between your chin and chest.

• Sitting all the way up

  Why it matters: Once your lower back leaves the floor, the hip flexors start to do more of the work.

  Fix: Stop when your shoulder blades leave the mat. The crunch is a short movement.

• Using momentum

  Why it matters: A fast swing up and drop down lets gravity do the work and leaves the abs with little tension.

  Fix: Curl up slowly, pause, then lower over the same time.

• Holding your breath

  Why it matters: Breath holding makes each rep feel harder and makes it harder to keep a steady pace.

  Fix: Breathe out as you curl up and breathe in as you lower.

Make it easier or harder

1. 
   This exercise Crunch
2. 
   Harder Lying leg raise

When you can do every set at the top of the rep range with good form, move to the lying leg raise.

Alternatives

Same main muscle and the same movement pattern first, from the same rules as the app's swap list.

Ab wheel rollout

abs · Bodyweight + ab wheel · Intermediate

Same movement pattern

Full guide coming soon

Hanging knee raise

abs · Bodyweight + pullup bar · Intermediate

Same movement pattern

Full guide coming soon

Cable Pallof press

abs, obliques · cable machine · Beginner

Same movement pattern

Full guide coming soon

See all 9 crunch alternatives

What you need

No equipment You can do this exercise anywhere.

Take care if

This exercise loads the neck. If your neck hurts, stop. Options that do not load the neck in the same way: Ab wheel rollout, Hanging knee raise. For pain that does not go away, see a doctor or a physiotherapist.

If your neck or lower back hurts during the set, stop. Try a dead bug or a plank instead.