Crunch

The staple movement for abdominal development. It isolates the rectus abdominis by shortening the distance between the sternum and the pelvis.

Exercise Details

Level: Beginner
Body Area: core
Type: core

Required Equipment

Bodyweight-only

Target Muscle Groups

Primary

Abs

Secondary

Lower Back

Setup

Lie on your back with knees bent. Engage your core and press your lower back into the ground.

Instructions

1. Lift your torso toward your knees using only your abdominal muscles.
2. Stop once your shoulder blades clear the floor.
3. Squeeze at the top.
4. Lower back down slowly.
5. Maintain control throughout.

Common Mistakes

1. Using momentum.
2. Lifting the lower back.
3. Shrugging the shoulders.

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.

Vertical Leg Raise

Intermediate / Captain's Chair / Abs / core

A powerful lower-abdominal exercise. Lifting the legs vertically targets the lower rectus abdominis and hip flexors while building core endurance.

Weighted Crunch

Intermediate / Dumbbells / Abs / core

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

Twist Crunch

Beginner / Bodyweight-only / Abs / core

A rotational core exercise targeting the obliques and rectus abdominis. It improves waistline definition and rotational spinal health.

Twisting Crunch

Beginner / Bodyweight-only / Abs / core

Similar to the twist crunch, this move emphasizes continuous rotational tension in the abdominals to build functional core strength.

Tuck Crunch

Beginner / Bodyweight-only / Abs / core

Targets the upper and lower abdominals. The simultaneous movement of the torso and knees maximizes the contraction of the rectus abdominis.

Stability Ball Crunch

Beginner / Stability (Swiss) Ball / Abs / core

A classic core builder that utilizes an unstable surface to recruit more muscle fibers. It primarily strengthens the upper abdominals and improves spinal stability.