Decline Crunch
Trains the Abs.
- Equipment
- A decline bench
- Mechanic
- Isolation
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
- Set a decline bench to a modest angle and hook your feet under the pads.
- Lie back with your knees bent, and rest your fingertips beside your ears or cross your arms over your chest.
- Tuck your chin slightly and brace your stomach.
- Curl your ribcage toward your pelvis, lifting your shoulder blades off the bench. As with a flat crunch, the lower back stays down.
- Pause at the top, then lower under control until your shoulder blades touch the bench again.
Common mistakes
- Sitting all the way up. The decline makes a full sit-up tempting and it brings the hip flexors in; a crunch stays short whatever the angle.
- Setting the decline too steep too soon. The steeper the bench, the harder the movement — increase the angle as it becomes easy, rather than starting at maximum.
- Pulling on the head with the hands.
- Holding a plate behind the head. Holding it across the chest keeps the load closer to the spine and stops the neck being pulled forward.