How to Do Crunches

Are you working on your 6-pack and want an effective core exercise to add to your routine? Then crunches are the perfect addition to strengthen and tone your abs. There are even a ton of variations of the exercise you can try to switch up your workout and target all the muscles in your core. Keep reading, and we'll walk you through how to properly perform crunches and other popular alternatives so you get those rock-hard abs.

Things You Should Know

Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Cross your arms over your chest with your palms placed just below your shoulders.
Engage your abs, lift your head and shoulders off the floor, and hold the position for 1–2 counts. Then, slowly lower yourself back down.
Do 2–3 sets of crunches that each have 10–15 reps.
Try reverse crunches by raising your legs directly over your hips. Lift your hips and tailbone off the ground for 1–2 counts before lowering them back to the floor.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Proper Crunches

1
Lie on your back on top of an exercise mat. Find a comfortable spot to lie down on the floor where you can spread out. Keep your neck and back in line. Tighten your abs and push your lower back flat against the mat the entire time you’re performing crunches to ensure your core stays engaged.^{[1]
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- If you don’t have an exercise mat, then lay out a soft towel or do crunches on a carpeted floor so you’re more comfortable.
2
Bend your knees so your feet are flat on the floor. Position your feet so your heels are about 12 to 18 in (30 to 46 cm) from your tailbone. Bend your knees to 90 degrees and keep them about hip-width apart. Make sure the soles of your feet are flat against the ground.^{[2]
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3
Cross your arms in front of your chest with your hands just below your shoulders. Keep your elbows pointed down toward your feet. Lay your hands flat on your chest right in front of your shoulders.^{[3]
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- Avoid putting your hands behind your head since you could accidentally strain your next when you perform your exercise.
- For more resistance during your workout, hold a 5 to 10 pounds (2.3 to 4.5 kg) plate weight over your chest.
4
Lift your shoulder blades off of the mat with a smooth, controlled motion. Tighten your abs and take a deep breath in. As you exhale, engage your muscles to raise your torso off of the mat all while keeping your lower back and feet flat on the floor. Lift yourself just enough to get your shoulder blades off of the floor. Support yourself in this position for 1–2 seconds.^{[4]
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- Avoid sitting all the way up when you perform a crunch since muscles in your back and hips will take over, and you could strain yourself.
- Keep your lower back, tailbone, and feet in contact with the mat at all times. If your feet lift off of the ground while you’re performing a rep, have someone hold onto your feet or position them underneath something heavy.
- Keep your neck relaxed instead of tucking in your chin. Try to keep an apple-sized space between your chin and your chest. Looking at the ceiling can help keep you from curling your neck too much.
EXPERT TIP

Exhale as you curl forward and inhale as you lower your torso back down.

Michele Dolan
Certified Fitness Trainer
Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.

Michele Dolan
Certified Fitness Trainer
5
Lower yourself back down with a slow, steady motion. Gently inhale as you slowly lower your torso down to the floor. Use a smooth, controlled motion to work your ab muscles and prevent you from injuring yourself. Take a brief pause to finish 1 rep.^{[5]
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- If you rush into the next rep, you’ll end up using the momentum of your body moving instead of your muscles to lift yourself up. Additionally, you’re more likely to injure your back
- Try doing a set of 10–12 crunches to start working out your abs. As you start building up your core strength, try doing 2–3 sets or increasing the number of reps you do.
EXPERT TIP

Laila Ajani
Fitness Trainer
Laila Ajani is a Fitness Trainer and founder of Push Personal Fitness, a personal training organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Laila has expertise in competitive athletics (gymnastics, powerlifting, and tennis), personal training, distance running, and Olympic lifting. Laila is certified by the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), USA Powerlifting (USAPL), and she is a Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES).

Laila Ajani
Fitness Trainer

There's no one-size-fits-all for how many crunches to do. For most people, you could start off doing 3 sets of 20 crunches on your first workout. If you can double that very easily, then do it. Also, you'll see some progress if you do crunches once or twice a week, but you'll see better results if you do them 5 or 6 times a week. You don't really have to worry about overdoing something like that.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Reverse Crunches

1
Lie on your back with your arms by your sides. Start by lying on your exercise mat or towel with your palms facing down. Look straight up, and keep your neck and back in line.^{[6]
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- If you need extra support, stretch out your arms to each side so your body looks like the letter “T.”
- Doing reverse crunches is perfect for targeting your lower ab muscles while standard crunches target your top and middle abs. They’re about the same difficulty, but they may feel a little tougher since you may not have worked your lower abs very much before.
2
Raise your legs to bring your knees over your hips. Tighten your ab muscles and lift your feet off of the floor. Bend your knees at 90-degree angles, and bring them directly over your hips.^{[7]
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- Remember to use smooth, controlled motions as you lift your legs up. Press down on the floor with your arms to help keep your balance and maintain control.
3
Lift your hips and tailbone off of the mat. Take a deep breath in. When you exhale, slowly raise your hips off of the mat. Bring your knees closer toward your head, and keep them bent at 90-degree angles. Once you lift your tailbone off of the floor, hold the position for 1 to 2 seconds.^{[8]
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- Keep your head, upper torso, and arms firmly on the floor while you’re exercising. Press your arms down for balance, but don’t use them to power your lift. Try to focus on letting your core muscles do the work.
4
Lower your hips to the floor with a controlled motion. Inhale as you slowly and smoothly bring your hips back to the floor. Keep your knees bent at 90-degree angles, and position them directly over your hips. Pause in this position for a moment to finish your rep.^{[9]
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- Keep your legs in the air if you plan on doing more reps and lower them when you’re finished.
- Try to do 10–12 reverse crunches at a time. If that feels easy, bump it up to 15 or 20 reps instead. Alternatively, try doing 1 set of basic crunches followed by 1 set of reverse crunches for a full core workout.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Variations

1
Do overhead crunches to add more resistance. Start on your back with your knees bent, and stretch out your arms straight out past your head so they’re in line with your back. Keep your arms extended as you lift your upper body off of the floor. Once your shoulder blades are off the ground, hold the position for 1–2 seconds before lowering yourself back down.^{[10]
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- Extending your arms adds a little more weight and makes your abs work harder. For an even greater challenge, you could hold a plate weight or kettlebell in your hands.
2
Try bicycle crunches for an all-around ab workout. Start on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Raise your left leg toward your chest, and extend your right leg straight, as if you were pedaling a bike. Place your fingertips behind your head, lift your upper back off of the mat, and rotate your torso to bring your right elbow toward your left knee.^{[11]
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- Then, straighten your left leg as you drive your right knee toward your chest. At the same time, rotate your torso to bring your left elbow toward your right knee.
- Aim to do 10–12 reps for each side of your body. For a greater challenge, do interval training with bicycle crunches. Try to do as many as you can in 30 seconds before taking a 10 second rest. Mix these in with other exercises, like squats, planks, and push-ups for a balanced routine.^{[12]
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- Bicycle crunches target your upper and lower abs as well as your obliques.
- Remember to use smooth, slow motions, and don’t yank your head or neck with your hands.
3
Perform side crunches to target your obliques. Lie on your back with your knees bent. Then, turn your hips to the left and drop your knees to the floor. Place your hands over your chest, and raise your upper back off of the mat using the same techniques as a regular crunch.^{[13]
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- Do 10–12 crunches with your legs lowered to the left, then repeat the steps to do another set on your right side.
- Follow up your side crunches by doing Russian twists for an even more intense oblique workout.
- Side crunches help build strength and tone your side muscles that normally are targeted during standard crunches.
4
Practice doing crunches on an exercise ball to stabilize your core. Sit on an exercise ball with your feet flat on the floor and hip-width apart. Cross your arms in front of your chest so your palms are just below your shoulders and engage your abs. Keep your back straight as you slowly lean backward. When you feel your core muscles tighten, hold your position for 1–2 counts before returning back to your starting position.^{[14]
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- Exercise balls make your lower body less stable, so your abs will work extra hard to maintain your position.
5
Try inclined crunches for a more intense ab workout. Lie on a decline exercise bench so your body is at a 45-degree angle. Hook your legs into the supports on the bench and cross your arms over your chest with your hands below your shoulders. The next time you exhale, engage your core and raise your upper body off of the bench. Keep your torso held up for 1–2 seconds before slowly lowering yourself back to the bench.^{[15]
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- Try to do 10 reps if you can, but just try to do as many as you can while maintaining slow and controlled movements.
- Since you have to lift your upper body up further during this exercise, there’s more resistance on your core.
6
Mix up your routine with cable crunches. Kneel in front of a cable pulley machine and hold onto the handle attachments. Grasp the handles and pull them next to the sides of your head. Take a deep breath in, and contract your abs as you exhale. Keep your hips planted as you curl your back and drive your elbows toward your thighs. Hold the position for 1–2 counties before returning to your start position.^{[16]
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- Try to do about 10–12 reps using smooth, controlled motions. Pause between each rep so momentum doesn’t power your movements.
- Keep your neck neutral instead of tucking in your chin. Remember to keep an apple-sized space between your chin and chest.
- When cable crunches get easier, try increasing the weight to build more muscle or adding more reps to tone your abs.

What Common Mistakes Do People Make When Doing Side Crunches?

Proper Form and Variations for Crunches

Proper Form for Regular Crunches

Crunch Variations

Expert Q&A

Question

Do crunches help you lose belly fat?

Michele Dolan
Certified Fitness Trainer
Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.

Michele Dolan

Certified Fitness Trainer

Expert Answer

No, crunches will strengthen some of your abdominal muscles. At best, they will help hold your tummy in a bit tighter. We cannot target fat loss. Fat loss will happen from all over your body.
Question

How do you breathe when doing crunches?

Michele Dolan
Certified Fitness Trainer
Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.

Michele Dolan

Certified Fitness Trainer

Expert Answer

You should exhale as you curl forward and inhale as you lower your torso back down.
Question

Will crunches cause a herniated disc?

Michele Dolan
Certified Fitness Trainer
Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.

Michele Dolan

Certified Fitness Trainer

Expert Answer

Although it is unlikely in a healthy person to herniate a disc using the force of just your own body weight, this exercise is to be avoided if there are any concerns about herniating a disc. This exercise will very likely aggravate a herniated disc.

Warnings

Stop exercising if you experience sudden severe pain, and avoid stretching or exercising when your muscles are sore. Give yourself a rest day so your body can recover.^{[21]
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Crunches could cause back or neck injuries if you strain yourself to sit up or go through the movements too quickly, so they may not be a good exercise if you already have neck and back pain.^{[22]
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