Decline Oblique Crunch
Trains the Abs and Obliques.
- Equipment
- A decline bench
- Mechanic
- Isolation
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Set a decline bench and hook your legs under the pads.
- Lie back and let both knees fall to one side so the hips are turned.
- Rest your fingertips beside your ears.
- Curl your shoulders and upper back up off the bench, keeping the hips turned.
- Stop where the trunk stops flexing, then hold briefly.
- Lower under control, then finish the side before swapping.
Common mistakes
- Setting a steep decline immediately. The angle is the load here, and a shallow decline done through a full range is worth more than a steep one where the trunk barely curls.
- Letting the hips untwist as you curl. The turned hips are the exercise; letting them return makes it a decline crunch.
- Trying to sit all the way up. Past the point where the lower back leaves the pad it is a decline sit-up and the hip flexors take over.
- Pulling on the head with the hands. Fingertips beside the ears, neck in line with the spine.