Demonstration
Watch the Form Demo
Technique
How to Do the Crunch
- Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Place your hands lightly behind your head or across your chest.
- Press your lower back gently into the floor.
- Exhale and curl your shoulder blades off the floor, ribs moving toward hips.
- Squeeze the abs at the top for a beat.
- Lower under control until your shoulder blades touch down, and repeat.
Anatomy
Muscles Worked
Do This
Form Cues
- Curl the upper back off the floor rather than pulling the neck.
- Keep the lower back in contact with the floor throughout.
- Exhale as you crunch and pause briefly at the top.
- Exhale hard as you curl up. Emptying the lungs lets the abs shorten fully.
Avoid This
Common Mistakes
- Pulling on the head with the hands.
- Sitting all the way up, which brings the hip flexors into it.
- Bouncing off the floor between reps.
- Yanking the head forward with the hands, which strains the neck and does nothing for the abs.
More to Explore
Variations & Related Exercises
Variations of this lift
Trains the same muscles
1.5 Rep Barbell Squat
Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press
B-Stance Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Barbell Box Squat
Barbell Front Squat
Barbell Good Morning
Put It Into Practice
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