At a glance
- Main muscle
- Core
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Rep range in Mitta
- 12 to 25 reps
- Skill level
- Beginner
- How tiring
- Low
How to do it
- On your back, knees bent, hands by your temples.
- Curl your upper back up, lower back stays down.
- Don’t pull on your neck.
Pick a weight you can lift for 12 to 25 reps with good form, and stop each set with a few reps left in the tank.
Why rating C
The basic version; fine to learn, but too easy without weight soon. Cable crunches or weighted decline crunches are easier to load.
Mitta rates every exercise from S to C, based on research where it exists and on how the exercise loads the muscle. When Mitta builds your plan it picks from S, A and B exercises and prefers ones that load the muscle at long length. C exercises are never picked automatically, but you can still choose them yourself.
Alternatives
These train the same muscle. Use one if you lack the equipment, if this exercise does not feel right, or for some variety.
- Cable Crunch · Cable · rating A
- Weighted Decline Crunch · Dumbbell · rating A
- Machine Crunch · Machine · rating A
Keep learning
- What is progressive overload, and how do you do it?
- How many sets per muscle per week?
- What is RIR, and how do you estimate it?
- One-rep max calculator: your max from any hard set of the crunch.
Let Mitta set the weight.
Mitta plans the crunch with a weight and rep target for every set, worked out from your last sessions.
Questions about the
crunch
What muscles does the crunch work?
The crunch mainly trains your core.
How many reps of the crunch should I do?
Mitta plans the crunch at 12 to 25 reps per set. Most sets should end with only a few reps left in the tank.
What can I do instead of the crunch?
Good alternatives that train the same muscle are the cable crunch, weighted decline crunch and machine crunch.
Is the crunch good for beginners?
Yes. It is easy to learn, so it suits people who are new to lifting.
Why does the crunch have rating C?
The basic version; fine to learn, but too easy without weight soon. Cable crunches or weighted decline crunches are easier to load.