Core / Intermediate / Isolation (single joint)

Decline Crunch

A crunch on a decline bench with feet anchored that strengthens the abdominals through a greater range and load than a floor crunch.

At a glance

Primary

Abs

Secondary

Obliques, Hip flexors

Equipment

Bench

Movement pattern

Trunk flexion

Level

Intermediate

Type

Core, Isolation (single joint)

How to do it

1. Lie back on a decline bench with your feet hooked under the pads and hands across your chest or beside your head.
2. Curl your torso up by flexing your spine, bringing your chest toward your knees.
3. Pause and squeeze your abs at the top.
4. Lower slowly back to the start.

Tips

• Do not pull on your neck.
• Exhale as you curl up.

Common mistakes

• ✗ Pulling on the head with the hands.

  Why it hurts: The neck flexes hard under the arm pull and gets strained.

  ✓ Instead: Touch the fingertips lightly behind the ears or cross the arms on the chest and look at the ceiling.

• ✗ Doing hundreds of fast reps.

  Why it hurts: Repeated fast spinal flexion can irritate the discs, especially for people with a history of back pain.

  ✓ Instead: Do fewer, slower reps and mix in anti-movement core work such as planks and dead bugs.

Open in the appGet started