Watermarked 360p preview. Through the API this animation plays without the watermark at 600 × 720, 30 fps. See plans
Waist · Body Weight
Abdominal Crunches
Abdominal Crunches is an intermediate isolation strength exercise that works the abs (waist), with the obliques assisting. It needs no equipment beyond your own body weight. A typical prescription is 3 sets of 10-15 reps, and it burns about 5.5 calories per minute.
- Target
- Abs
- Body part
- Waist
- Equipment
- Body Weight
- Category
- Strength
- Mechanic
- Isolation
- Force
- Push
- Sets × reps
- 3 × 10-15
- Calories / min
- ≈ 5.5 kcal
Primary muscles
- Abdominals · rectus abdominis
Secondary muscles
- Obliques · external, internal obliques
How to do Abdominal Crunches
- Lie on your back with knees slightly bent, feet placed on the floor and arms raised to the shoulder height.
- Squeeze your abdominals and lift your upper back off the floor, reaching forward with your arms
- Hold for few seconds and slowly return to the starting position.
Form tips
- Keep your neck relaxed and avoid pulling on it with your hands to prevent strain.
- Focus on engaging your core muscles throughout the movement to maximize effectiveness.
- Breathe steadily, exhaling as you lift into the crunch and inhaling as you lower back down.
Abdominal Crunches alternatives
More abs exercises
Abdominal Crunches FAQ
What muscles does Abdominal Crunches work?
Abdominal Crunches mainly works the abs in the waist (rectus abdominis). The obliques work as secondary muscles.
What equipment do you need for Abdominal Crunches?
None. Abdominal Crunches is a body weight exercise, so you can do it at home or anywhere with enough space.
How many sets and reps of Abdominal Crunches should I do?
Start with 3 sets of 10-15 reps. Pick a load or variation where the last one or two reps are hard but your form stays clean.
Is Abdominal Crunches good for beginners?
It's rated intermediate. Beginners can work up to it once they control simpler waist exercises.
How many calories does Abdominal Crunches burn?
About 5.5 calories per minute for a person of around 70 kg, based on a MET value of 4.5. Ten minutes of work is roughly 55 calories; heavier people burn more.
What is a good alternative to Abdominal Crunches?
Other exercises for the abs include Abdominal Crunches Machine, Suspension Trainer With Grips Abdominal Fallout, Dumbbell Diagonal Chop and Dumbbell Side Bend.
For developers
Use Abdominal Crunches in your app
Get this exercise and 1,900+ others from the WorkoutX API: 720p MP4 animations at 30 fps without the watermark, male and female models, muscles, instructions and form tips in 7 languages.
# One request returns the exercise and its 720p media links curl "https://api.workoutxapp.com/v2/exercises/ex_AH72ZW" \ -H "X-WorkoutX-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" { "id": "ex_AH72ZW", "name": "Abdominal Crunches", "model": "male", "counterpartId": "ex_4YKHMA", "target": "Abs", "equipment": "Body Weight", "media": { "mp4": "https://…/ex_AH72ZW/mp4-720.mp4?…", "poster": "https://…/ex_AH72ZW/poster.jpg?…" } }











