Core · Abs · Bodyweight
Crunch
The crunch is curling the shoulders off the floor while lying on your back with the knees bent. It trains the rectus abdominis through a short range without equipment and is the simplest abs exercise to learn.
How to
Bodyweight- 1 Lie on your back, knees bent, hands by the head.
- 2 Curl the shoulders off the floor.
- 3 Lower slowly without pulling the neck.
Tips
- A short range is fine: the lower back stays on the floor.
- Breathe out as you curl up.
- Hold a plate at the chest to progress.
Common mistakes
- Pulling the head with the hands.
- Sitting all the way up with momentum.
- Jamming the chin into the chest.
Muscles worked
Main
- Abs (rectus abdominis)
Also working
- Obliques
Breathing and bracing
Breathe out as you curl up, breathe in as you lower.
Sets and reps
- Muscle size
- 3 sets of 12–25 reps, 1 min rest
- Progress
- Hold a plate on the chest, or move to the cable crunch
Setup
- 1 Lie on your back with the knees bent and the feet flat.
- 2 Place the fingertips lightly behind the ears, or cross the arms over the chest.
- 3 Press the lower back gently into the floor.
Technique in detail
- Curl the head, shoulders and upper back off the floor.
- Think of bringing the ribs toward the hips.
- Pause for a second at the top.
- Lower slowly back down.
- Keep the neck relaxed; the hands do not pull.
In these plans
Not part of a built-in plan. Add it to any workout from the exercise picker.
Variations and alternatives
Questions
Crunches or sit-ups?
Crunches keep the lower back on the floor and isolate the abs; sit-ups add the hip flexors.
Will crunches give me visible abs?
They build the abs, but whether the abs show depends on body fat.
My neck hurts. What should I change?
Cross the arms over the chest and look slightly up at the ceiling, not at the knees.
Log it in Volu(me)
Add Crunch to any workout. Next time the app fills in the weight and reps from your last session and marks a new best set the moment you tick it.