Decline Crunch

CoreBench

A crunch performed on a decline bench with the head lower than the hips, increasing the range of motion and resistance compared to a flat-floor crunch.

Demo: General S&C demo

Sets

3

Reps

12-15

Rest

45s

Contraindications

Flexion-intolerant low back pain — regress to floor crunches.

Setup

Lie on a decline bench, feet secured under the pads, hands lightly supporting the head or crossed on the chest.

Execution

  1. 1Exhale and curl the torso up and forward, flexing the spine
  2. 2Keep the low back rounding smoothly rather than yanking
  3. 3Curl to about a 45-degree torso angle, not all the way to sitting
  4. 4Pause briefly at the top
  5. 5Lower with control back to the decline position

Key cues

  • Curl smoothly, segment by segment
  • Exhale hard on the way up
  • Control the descent just as much as the ascent
  • Don't use the hip flexors to yank up

Common faults

  • Using momentum from the decline to swing up
  • Hip flexors taking over instead of the abs
  • Neck straining from pulling with the hands
  • Not controlling the eccentric lowering

Tweaks

  • Adjust the decline angle for difficulty
  • Add a weight held at the chest for more resistance
  • Slow the tempo for more time under tension

Regressions

Weighted CrunchCrunch (Standard)

Muscles

Primary: Rectus Abdominis

Secondary: Obliques, Hip Flexors

Notes

FLEXION.

Sources

Attribution: Classic S&C canon