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9 Crunch Alternatives

The crunch trains your abs as you curl your shoulders off the floor and bring your ribs toward your pelvis. You need a substitute when the crunch strains your neck, when it gets too easy, or when you want to train the core in a different way.

  1. Ab wheel rollout: start and end position, male figure. Abs highlighted. Ab wheel rollout: start and end position, female figure. Abs highlighted.

    1. Ab wheel rollout

    • Same main muscle
    • Same movement pattern
    • Ab wheel

    You roll the wheel forward from your knees and pull back with your abs while your back stays flat. In an EMG study the rollout gave some of the highest abdominal activity of the exercises tested, so it is a harder step up.

    To build muscle: 3 x 10-20 reps (from the app's rules).

    How to do it
    1. Kneel and hold the wheel under your shoulders.
    2. Tuck your pelvis and brace your abs.
    3. Roll forward only as far as you can keep your back flat.
    4. Pull back with your abs, not your hips.
  2. Hanging knee raise: start and end position, male figure. Abs highlighted. Hanging knee raise: start and end position, female figure. Abs highlighted.

    2. Hanging knee raise

    • Same main muscle
    • Same movement pattern
    • Pull-up bar

    You hang from a bar and pull your knees up, then curl your pelvis up at the top. The abs work from the bottom up, and your grip and shoulders also have to hold you.

    To build muscle: 3 x 10-20 reps (from the app's rules).

    How to do it
    1. Hang from the bar with your shoulders engaged.
    2. Pull your knees up toward your chest.
    3. Curl your pelvis up at the top.
    4. Lower slowly without swinging.
  3. Cable Pallof press: start and end position, male figure. Abs and obliques highlighted. Cable Pallof press: start and end position, female figure. Abs and obliques highlighted.

    3. Cable Pallof press

    • Same main muscle
    • Same movement pattern
    • Cable machine

    You stand side-on to a cable and press the handle out while you resist the twist. It trains the abs and obliques to keep your spine still, with no strain on the neck.

    To build muscle: 3 x 10-15 reps (from the app's rules).

    How to do it
    1. Stand side-on to a cable at chest height.
    2. Hold the handle at your chest with both hands.
    3. Press your hands straight out and resist the twist.
    4. Hold for two seconds, then bring the handle back.
  4. Dead bug: start and end position, male figure. Abs highlighted. Dead bug: start and end position, female figure. Abs highlighted.

    4. Dead bug

    • Same main muscle
    • Same movement pattern
    • No equipment

    You lie on your back, press your lower back down, and move one arm and the opposite leg. Your head stays on the floor, so it is a good swap when crunches hurt your neck.

    To build muscle: 3 x 10-15 reps (from the app's rules).

    How to do it
    1. Lie on your back with arms up and knees over your hips.
    2. Press your lower back into the floor.
    3. Extend one arm and the opposite leg slowly.
    4. Return and switch sides without arching your back.
  5. Plank: start and end position, male figure. Abs highlighted. Plank: start and end position, female figure. Abs highlighted.

    5. Plank

    • Same main muscle
    • Same movement pattern
    • No equipment

    You hold a straight line from head to heels on your forearms and toes. It trains the abs to hold the spine still, not to curl it, and needs no equipment.

    To build muscle: 3 x 20-40 s (from the app's rules).

  6. Hollow hold: start and end position, male figure. Abs highlighted. Hollow hold: start and end position, female figure. Abs highlighted.

    6. Hollow hold

    • Same main muscle
    • Same movement pattern
    • No equipment

    You lift your shoulders and legs a little off the floor and hold with your lower back pressed down. It keeps a short curl like a crunch but holds it, so the abs work for the whole set.

    To build muscle: 3 x 20-40 s (from the app's rules).

    How to do it
    1. Lie on your back and press your lower back into the floor.
    2. Lift your shoulders and legs a few inches off the floor.
    3. Reach your arms long past your ears and keep your ribs down.
    4. Breathe slowly and stop the set if your lower back lifts.
  7. Bird dog: start and end position, male figure. Abs and lower back highlighted. Bird dog: start and end position, female figure. Abs and lower back highlighted.

    7. Bird dog

    • Same main muscle
    • Same movement pattern
    • No equipment

    On hands and knees, you reach one arm forward and the opposite leg back and hold. It is a gentle exercise for core control and back muscles, and it is easier than a crunch.

    To build muscle: 3 x 20-40 s (from the app's rules).

    How to do it
    1. Start on hands and knees with a flat back.
    2. Reach one arm forward and the opposite leg back.
    3. Keep your hips level and pause for two seconds.
    4. Return slowly and switch sides.
  8. Lying leg raise: start and end position, male figure. Abs highlighted. Lying leg raise: start and end position, female figure. Abs highlighted.

    8. Lying leg raise

    • Same main muscle
    • Same movement pattern
    • No equipment

    You lie flat and raise straight legs toward the ceiling, then lower them slowly. The abs work to keep your lower back down, which makes it the next step after the crunch.

    To build muscle: 3 x 10-20 reps (from the app's rules).

    How to do it
    1. Lie flat with your hands under your hips.
    2. Keep your legs straight and together.
    3. Raise your legs until they point to the ceiling.
    4. Lower slowly and keep your lower back down.
  9. Side plank: start and end position, male figure. Obliques and abs highlighted. Side plank: start and end position, female figure. Obliques and abs highlighted.

    9. Side plank

    • Trains the abs
    • Same movement pattern
    • No equipment

    You hold your body in a straight line on one forearm and the side of one foot. It shifts the work to the obliques on the side of your waist, which a crunch trains less.

    To build muscle: 3 x 20-40 s (from the app's rules).

Comparison table

ExerciseMain musclesEquipmentLevelSame pattern
Crunch (this exercise)absNoneBeginner-
Ab wheel rolloutabsAb wheelIntermediateYes
Hanging knee raiseabsPull-up barIntermediateYes
Cable Pallof pressabs and obliquesCable machineBeginnerYes
Dead bugabsNoneBeginnerYes
PlankabsNoneBeginnerYes
Hollow holdabsNoneIntermediateYes
Bird dogabs and lower backNoneBeginnerYes
Lying leg raiseabsNoneIntermediateYes
Side plankobliques and absNoneBeginnerYes

How we chose

Decide what you want from the swap. The crunch bends your spine forward, so rollouts, leg raises and knee raises keep a strong job for the abs. Planks, dead bugs, bird dogs and the Pallof press train the core to resist movement instead, which is a different but useful skill. If your neck is the problem, choose an exercise where your head rests on the floor or stays in line with your body. Keep your lower back in control in every option.

The ranking is the same rule as the swap list in the Oh My Coach app: exercises with the same first main muscle and the same movement pattern come first, then the rest of the pattern, ordered by how well each one works as a main exercise. An exercise never replaces itself. The extra picks for home, dumbbells and bands come from the same rule with only that equipment.

How to do the crunch

Questions

What is a good crunch alternative if it hurts my neck?

Try the dead bug, the plank or the Pallof press. In each one your head stays in line with your body, so the neck does not have to lift. If you keep the crunch, rest your hands lightly at your temples and do not pull on your head.

What is harder than a crunch?

The lying leg raise is the next step in the app's chain. The ab wheel rollout and the hanging knee raise are harder still.

Can I replace crunches with planks?

Yes, as part of your core training. The plank trains the abs to keep the spine still, while the crunch trains them to curl it. Many programs use one of each type.