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How to do the Cross Body Crunch

CoreAbsBodyweightIntermediate

The cross body crunch is one of the most effective bodyweight moves for targeting the obliques while keeping full tension on the rectus abdominis throughout the range of motion. Master this pattern and you build the rotational core strength that transfers to every lift, sport, and athletic movement you do.

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Muscles worked

Primary
AbdominalsObliques
Secondary
Hip flexorsLower back

Step-by-step

  1. Lie flat on your back, hands loosely behind your head and knees bent at 90 degrees with feet flat on the floor.
  2. Brace your core, then lift your right shoulder blade off the ground while simultaneously driving your right knee toward your left elbow.
  3. Pause briefly at peak contraction, squeezing the obliques hard before slowly lowering back to the start.
  4. Alternate sides in a controlled rhythm, ensuring each rep begins from a fully reset position rather than bouncing through the movement.

Common mistakes

  • Pulling on the neck with the hands, which shifts stress away from the abs and risks strain — instead keep fingers light behind the head and lead the movement with your shoulder, not your elbow.
  • Rushing through reps with momentum so the obliques never fully contract — slow each rep down and pause at the top to force the muscles to do the work.
  • Only lifting the head rather than rotating the entire shoulder blade off the floor — think about bringing your shoulder across your body, not just your elbow, to achieve true trunk rotation.

Pro tip — On every rep, exhale sharply at the point of peak rotation to force a deeper transverse abdominis contraction beneath the obliques, creating far greater intra-abdominal tension than breathing passively through the movement.

Sets & reps by goal

Build muscle3–4 sets × 10–15 reps
Get stronger3–4 sets × 6–8 reps
Lose fat / tone3 sets × 12–20 reps

Rest: 60–90 sec between sets.

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