Oblique Crunch
Lying on your back with both knees dropped to one side, you curl your shoulder off the floor toward your hip, working the obliques on one side at a time.
- Primary muscles
- Obliques
- Secondary
- Abs
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
Loads from YouTube only when you press play. The video is by an independent creator.
Why do it
Turning your hips to the side angles a normal crunch so it focuses on the obliques of one side, which makes this a simple way to train them without equipment or loaded twisting. It suits beginners and fits well at the end of an ab session. Compared with bicycle crunches or heel touches, there's no leg movement and no side bend, just a short, focused curl. Do all your reps on one side before switching, and slow the lowering to make it harder.
How to do it
Lie on your back with your knees bent, then drop both knees to one side so your hips are turned.
Put the hand of the top side behind your head and rest the other hand on your stomach.
Curl your shoulder off the floor toward your hip, contracting the oblique on the stretched side.
Lower back down slowly. Move your shoulder, not your elbow, and don't pull on your neck.
Common mistakes
Leading with your elbow
Swinging the elbow toward your knee makes the rep look bigger without curling your torso. Move your shoulder toward your hip and let the elbow come along.
Pulling on your neck
The hand behind your head is there for support, not to haul your head up. Keep it light and lift by curling your upper back.
Letting your knees drift upright
If your knees creep back to center during the set, your hips untwist and the crunch moves to the front of your abs. Keep both knees dropped to the side.
Dropping back down
Falling back to the floor skips half the work. Lower slowly and keep a little tension at the bottom before the next rep.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
