Decline Crunch: how to do it right
In short: Decline crunch: isolation of the rectus abdominis, upper portion, loaded at mid-range on an inclined bench with the head lower than the feet.
How to do it, step by step
- 1Hook your feet firmly under the rollers, bench at a slight to moderate decline, hands on your chest or temples without pulling on your neck.
- 2Curl the torso by bringing your ribs toward the pelvis, spine rounding vertebra by vertebra.
- 3Rise until you feel a clear contraction of the upper abs, without switching to hip work.
- 4Unroll slowly under control, never fully relaxing at the bottom.
- 5Continuous, fluid rhythm, about 2 seconds up, 2 to 3 seconds on the way back.
The mistake to avoid
Don't yank your neck with your hands. Curl your torso.
Other common mistakes
- Pulling on the neck with your hands: keep your hands light and curl with the abs, not with the arms.
- Working through hip flexion like a stiff sit-up: round your back to isolate the rectus abdominis and not the hip flexors.
- Going too low into hyperextension to gain range: stay in the useful zone where tension exists, the excess wears out your lower back.
- Chaining reps in a swing with no control: it's in the slow mid-range that you really recruit the muscle.
Muscles worked
- Main:
- Abs
The rectus abdominis is the prime mover, with marked recruitment of its supra-umbilical portion (upper abs) which brings the sternum toward the pelvis. The obliques stabilize the trunk and prevent rotation. The decline adds gravity as resistance from the very start of the sit-up.
What to replace it with
Same muscle, same part of the movement: these exercises do the same job.
- Weighted Plank ›
- Medicine Ball Slam ›
- Cable Pallof Press ›
- Cable Woodchop ›
- Rotational Medicine Ball Throw ›
Frequently asked questions
How do I do this exercise?
Hook your feet firmly under the rollers, bench at a slight to moderate decline, hands on your chest or temples without pulling on your neck. Curl the torso by bringing your ribs toward the pelvis, spine rounding vertebra by vertebra. The pelvis stays fixed, it's the upper back that lifts and curls, not the hip.
How far down should I go?
The tension is maximal at mid-range, when your torso is halfway through the curl and the lever arm of gravity is greatest. At the bottom the muscle is lengthened but barely challenged, at the top it's shortened and the load becomes low again. Don't try to come up very high or to fully relax at the bottom, own the middle pass where it burns. Avoid hyperextension at the bottom, it wears out your lower back for nothing.
I don't feel anything, is that normal?
You should feel the upper abs burn, not the neck or the hips. If you feel your hip flexors, you're coming up stiff, really round your back vertebra by vertebra. Pause for one second at mid-range and focus on curling the ribs, not on the height reached.
How fast do I do the movement?
About 2 seconds to curl, 2 to 3 seconds to unroll while braking. Pause for one second right in the middle of the range, where tension peaks. No swinging, it's the slow mid-range that really recruits the rectus abdominis.
How do I breathe?
Exhale during the torso curl, hollowing the belly to strengthen the contraction of the rectus abdominis. Inhale as you unroll. Keep constant trunk bracing to protect the spine and avoid jerks.