Weighted Crunch

A resistance-based abdominal exercise designed to build muscle thickness. Adding weight forces the rectus abdominis to work harder against gravity for maximum hypertrophy.

Exercise Details

Level
Intermediate
Body Area
core
Type
core
Required Equipment
Target Muscle Groups
Primary
Secondary

Setup

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat. Hold a weight plate or dumbbell across your chest or extended above your shoulders with a firm, secure grip.

Instructions

1. Flex your abs to lift your shoulders off the floor while keeping the lower back grounded.
2. Exhale at the top.
3. Maintain a neutral spine and avoid tucking your chin.
4. Slowly lower back to the start.
5. Keep the weight steady.

Common Mistakes

1. Using arm strength to move the weight.
2. Lifting the lower back off the floor.
3. Jerky movements during the ascent.

Alternative Exercises

Wipers
Intermediate / Bodyweight-only / Abs / isolation
An advanced rotational core exercise targeting the obliques and transverse abdominis. It builds extreme rotational control and stability.
View more

Explore by Muscle Groups

Explore by Equipment