How to do the Crunch Floor M
CoreAbsBodyweightIntermediate
The floor crunch strips away all momentum and machines, forcing your abs to do exactly what they were built for — controlled spinal flexion under tension. Master this movement and you build the foundation for every advanced core exercise that follows.
Add this to my personalized plan →Muscles worked
Primary
AbdominalsObliques
Secondary
Hip flexorsLower back
Step-by-step
- Lie flat on your back with knees bent, feet hip-width apart, and fingertips lightly touching your temples.
- Press your lower back firmly into the floor to eliminate the arch and engage your core before you move.
- Exhale fully and curl your shoulder blades off the floor by contracting your abs, not by pulling your neck forward.
- Hold the peak contraction for one count, then lower slowly under control, stopping just short of your shoulder blades touching the floor.
Common mistakes
- Pulling the neck forward with the hands, which shifts stress off the abs and onto the cervical spine — keep your elbows wide and your chin slightly tucked with a fist-width of space between chin and chest.
- Using momentum to bounce through reps, which eliminates time under tension — slow the lowering phase to a full two-count to keep the abs loaded throughout.
- Letting the lower back arch off the floor at the start of each rep, which reduces ab activation — actively brace and press the lumbar spine down before initiating every single repetition.
Pro tip — Think about bringing your ribcage toward your pelvis rather than reaching your chest toward the ceiling — this internal cue drives true spinal flexion and maximizes rectus abdominis recruitment instead of just rocking your torso.
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.
More Core exercises
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