Cross-Body Crunch
Muscles worked
Instructions
- 1Lie flat on your back and bend your knees about 60 degrees.
- 2Keep your feet flat on the floor and place your hands loosely behind your head. This will be your starting position.
- 3Now curl up and bring your right elbow and shoulder across your body while bring your left knee in toward your left shoulder at the same time. Reach with your elbow and try to touch your knee. Exhale as you perform this movement. Tip: Try to bring your shoulder up towards your knee rather than just your elbow and remember that the key is to contract the abs as you perform the movement; not just to move the elbow.
- 4Now go back down to the starting position as you inhale and repeat with the left elbow and the right knee.
- 5Continue alternating in this manner until all prescribed repetitions are done.
About Cross-Body Crunch
The cross-body crunch brings the elbow toward the opposite knee, adding trunk rotation to the flexion movement: you recruit the obliques on top of the straight portion of the abs. Lying on your back, one hand behind the head, you curl the shoulder toward the opposite hip while exhaling, never pulling on your neck. It is done on the floor with no equipment, and the range adjusts to your level. It is a perfect exercise for beginners who want to train rotation and strengthen the core more completely than the straight crunch alone.
check_circleBenefits
- check_circleTargets the obliques through the cross-rotation pattern
- check_circleNeeds no equipment and works anywhere on the floor
- check_circleLeft-right coordination that builds trunk control
lightbulbExecution tips
- lightbulbBring the shoulder toward the knee, not just the elbow
- lightbulbRotate the torso instead of yanking on the neck
- lightbulbDraw the opposite knee up to meet the elbow to shorten the gap
- lightbulbExhale on each crunch and pause briefly at the top
warningCommon mistakes
- warningPulling on the head with the hands and straining the neck
- warningBarely lifting the shoulder without real trunk rotation
- warningGoing too fast and losing the oblique contraction
- warningHolding the breath instead of exhaling on the effort
helpFrequently asked questions
Is it good for beginners?expand_more
Yes, it's an easy-to-learn bodyweight move that's safe for newcomers.
Will it burn off love handles?expand_more
It strengthens the obliques, but waist definition depends mainly on an overall calorie deficit.
How often should I train the obliques?expand_more
Two to three sessions a week are enough, leaving at least one recovery day. The abs recover quickly, but they are still a muscle: there is no need to train them every day.
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