Decline crunch
- Muscle group
- Abdomen
- Primary muscles
- Abs
- Secondary muscles
- Obliques
- Secure your feet at the top of a decline bench and lie back.
- Place your hands lightly behind your head or across your chest.
- Use your abdominal muscles to lift your upper body toward your knees, keeping your lower back pressed against the bench.
- Slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position.
Tips
- Initiate each rep by curling your ribcage toward your pelvis rather than simply lifting your head and shoulders off the bench.
- Lower your upper body in a controlled manner until your shoulder blades return to the bench before beginning the next repetition.
- Exhale as you curl upward and inhale as you lower back down to help maintain a steady rhythm throughout the set.
Common mistakes
- Pulling on the back of the head with the hands causes the neck to jut forward rather than the torso curling upward.
- Letting the lower back arch away from the bench as you curl up shortens the range of motion and reduces how far the torso actually travels.
Make Every Set Count.
Plan your workouts, track every session, and see your progress over time.
