Crunches
The standard floor crunch, a simple bodyweight core exercise that curls the upper body forward off the floor. It is a beginner staple that needs no equipment at all.
- Primary musclesCore
- Secondary musclesnone listed
- EquipmentBodyweight
- LevelBeginner · isolation
How to do the crunches
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, or resting on a bench.
- Rest your hands lightly beside your head, keeping your elbows out and fingers unlocked.
- Press your lower back down into the floor to set your starting position.
- Roll your shoulders up off the floor while contracting your abs and breathing out.
- Lift your shoulders just a few inches, holding the contraction briefly at the top.
- Lower back down slowly to the starting position as you breathe in, then repeat.
Original library instructions (6 steps)
- Lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground, or resting on a bench with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle. If you are resting your feet on a bench, place them three to four inches apart and point your toes inward so they touch.
- Now place your hands lightly on either side of your head keeping your elbows in. Tip: Don't lock your fingers behind your head.
- While pushing the small of your back down in the floor to better isolate your abdominal muscles, begin to roll your shoulders off the floor.
- Continue to push down as hard as you can with your lower back as you contract your abdominals and exhale. Your shoulders should come up off the floor only about four inches, and your lower back should remain on the floor. At the top of the movement, contract your abdominals hard and keep the contraction for a second. Tip: Focus on slow, controlled movement - don't cheat yourself by using momentum.
- After the one second contraction, begin to come down slowly again to the starting position as you inhale.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Common mistakes
- Pulling on your neck with your hands; keep them as a light support rather than a lever.
- Using momentum instead of a controlled contraction; slow the tempo down for both directions.
- Lifting the entire back off the floor rather than just the shoulders; keep the lower back grounded.
- Rushing through reps to hit a high number; quality reps matter more than speed here.
Sets and reps by goal
| Goal | Sets, reps and rest |
|---|---|
| Strength | 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps, 60 seconds rest |
| Muscle | 3 to 4 sets of 15 to 20 reps, 45 seconds rest |
| Endurance | 2 to 3 sets of 20 to 25 reps, 30 seconds rest |
Ranges, not prescriptions. Start at the low end and add a set or a rep when every set feels controlled.
Tips
- Focus on a slow, controlled tempo rather than racing through as many reps as possible.
- Exhale fully at the top of the movement to help the abs contract harder.
In the app: this exercise is one of 873 in GymPilot's library, with the same photos, form cues and a link back to the moment in an imported video it came from.
Questions
Are crunches good for beginners?
Yes, they need no equipment and are one of the simplest ways to start training the core.
What muscles do crunches work?
Crunches target the core, specifically the muscles that curl the torso forward.
