How to Do a Side Crunch

Co-authored by Brendon Rearick

Last Updated: November 22, 2024 Fact Checked

Side crunches are a great way to work out both your abdominal and oblique muscles in 1 exercise. There are a few variations to side crunches, but all of these exercises can help flatten your stomach and increase muscle strength and endurance in your core. Just make sure that you do not do twisting crunches more than once per week because this can stress your back. Try other types of oblique exercises, such as the side plank.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Doing a Back Lying Side Crunch

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1
Lie down on the floor. Lie down on a fitness mat. Lie with your back flat on the ground, legs together and knees bent.^{[1]
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Research source} Keep in mind that this movement is not recommended for anyone who has ever had a back problem.
- This movement can be made easier by placing your hands and arms lower on your body (crossing arms in front of your chest) or harder, by placing your hands and arms past your head (arms extended above your head).^{[2]
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2
Turn your legs to one side. With your knees remaining bent, turn at your waist and bring both of your legs to one side of your body, down to the floor. Your legs should be lying on top of each other.^{[3]
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Research source} As you bring your legs down to the floor, keep your shoulder blades and the upper part of your back flat on the floor.
- Your rib cage should be down and not flared out in this position. If you overextend, you risk straining your upper back.^{[4]
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  Expert Interview. 30 July 2020.}
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3
Crunch to your side. Place your hands behind or at the sides of your head. Flex your abdominal muscles, and lift your shoulders off the floor. Be sure to keep your shoulders straight and level just as you would for a normal crunch. Hold the position for a moment, then release your constricted abdominal muscles to slowly bring your shoulders back down to the mat.^{[5]
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- Do not pull at your head and neck to complete the crunch. Your hands are merely resting near your head as you contract your abdominal muscles to lift yourself up and crunch.^{[7]
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  Brendon Rearick
  Personal Trainer & Strength Coach
  
  Expert Interview. 30 July 2020.}
- Exhale as you crunch and inhale as you return to your starting position. Then, repeat. Breathing properly will put your diaphragm in a better position for abdominal work.^{[8]
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  Brendon Rearick
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  Expert Interview. 30 July 2020.}
Once you have completed one set of crunches on one side of your body (about 10–15 reps), turn your legs over to do the crunches on other side of your body. It’s recommended to do this exercise 1–3 sets on each side, 2–3 times a week.^{[9]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Doing a Side Lying Side Crunch

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1
Lie down on the floor. Lie down on a fitness mat on one side of your body. Your legs should be stacked on top of each other.^{[10]
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Research source} Bend your knees.
2
Position your hands. Place your upper arm’s hand (arm furthest from the mat) behind or at the side of your head. Place your lower arm’s hand either extended straight out from your body, or on your thigh or abdomen.^{[11]
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3
Crunch to your side. Exhale and contract your abdominal oblique muscles to lift your upper body off the mat and crunch.^{[13]
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Research source} Try to crunch to your side as high as possible, aiming to get your elbow as close to your thigh as you can.^{[14]
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Research source} Pause and hold the crunch for a brief moment before inhaling and coming back down to your starting position.^{[15]
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- To make this exercise more challenging, lift up your knees simultaneously as you crunch. To make it even more challenging, you can straighten out your legs and simultaneously lift both of them up as you crunch.^{[16]
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4
Complete your crunches on the other side of your body. Once you have completed about one set of crunches (about 10–15 reps), flip over to lay on the other side of your body. Get into the same starting position you did before, with your knees bent and your arms in place, and complete a set on this side of your body.
- Do 1–3 sets of 10–15 reps on each side of your body. ^{[17]
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  Research source} Try to do these crunches about 2 or 3 times a week.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Doing a Side Crunch on an Exercise Ball

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1
Position yourself on the exercise ball. Sit down on top of the exercise ball, and walk forward so your back is resting on the ball. Your head and shoulders should not be resting on the ball, but instead, hanging off.
2
Position your legs. Twist your lower body so your legs are turned to one side. Extending your upper leg, and place your upper leg’s foot flat on the floor. Bend your lower leg’s knee, and you can either keep this lower leg hanging (bent in the air), or place your foot back, past your body, and down on the ground.
3
Crunch to your side. Lean all the way back on the ball so your back follows the contour of the ball. Place both of your hands behind your head or cross your arms on top of your chest. Exhale and contract your abdominal muscles to lift your upper body off of the ball. Hold this crunching position for a moment, then inhale and slowly relax your muscles to come back down onto the ball.
- Be sure that you are not pulling at your head and neck with your hands. Contract your core muscles to lift up off the ball.
4
Complete your crunches on the other side of your body. Once you have done a set of crunches on one side of your body (about 10–15 reps), roll over to the other side of your body and position yourself in the same starting position as before. Complete a set of crunches on this side of your body.
- Do approximately 1–3 sets of 10–15 reps.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Doing a Plank Side Crunch

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1
Lay on the floor. Lay on one side of your body with your legs extended out straight, and on top of each other. Place your lower arm’s elbow on the floor, and make sure your elbow is directly underneath your shoulder. Prop and hold your body up on your elbow.^{[18]
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2
Crunch to your side. From your propped position, place your upper arm’s hand behind your head.^{[19]
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Research source} Inhale and contract your side abdominal muscles to crunch and bring your upper elbow down toward your side. As you crunch, the lower half of your torso and your hips are going to dip down to the floor. Hold the crunch position for a moment, exhale, then flex your side abdominal muscles again to bring your upper elbow and torso back up to your starting position.^{[20]
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- As you come back to your starting position, you can extend even further than you started, bringing your elbow back and tilting your head down to the ground.^{[21]
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  Research source} This will give your upper torso a convex curve.
3
Complete the crunch on the other side of your body. Once you have completed one set of side crunches on one side of your body (approximately 10–15 reps), turn over and get into the same starting position as before, with your legs extended and your elbow propping up your body.
- Complete approximately 1–3 sets of 10–15 reps.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Doing a Standing Side Crunch

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1
Stand up and position your body. Stand straight up with your feet about hip width apart and your knees somewhat bent. Place one of your hands behind or at the side of your head.
- Whichever hand you bring to your head is the side on which you are going to start your standing crunch.
2
Crunch to the side. Whichever side your hand is at your head, lift that same side leg up with your knee bent at a 90° right angle. Turn your knee out, so the side of your thigh is facing out as you crunch. As you bring your knee up, contract your side abdominal muscles to bring your upper body down.
- As you crunch, your elbow should be touching you knee.
- Try not to bend forward as you crunch. Keep your spine straight as your curve it down to the side.
- This crunch style is a great alternative for people who have poor mobility and can’t get down on the ground.
3
Complete the crunch on both sides of your body. Once you have done one set of side crunches (approximately 10–15 reps), switch arms and legs to crunch on the other side of your body.
- Try to do 1–3 sets of 10–15 reps on each side of your body.
- Reader Poll: We asked 114 wikiHow readers which type of crunches they found most effective for building ab muscles, and 59% of them said elbow-to-knee crunches. [Take Poll]

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What common mistakes do people make when doing side crunches?

Brendon Rearick
Personal Trainer & Strength Coach
Brendon Rearick is a Personal Trainer, Strength Coach, Fitness Program Director, and co-founder of Certified Functional Strength Coach (CSFC), a fitness education company in the San Francisco Bay Area. With 17 years of experience in the fitness industry, Brendon specializes in strength and conditioning, and his company CSFC has certified over 3,000 trainers in over 20 countries. Brendon has worked as a Program Director for Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning (MBSC) and earned his massage therapy license from the Cortiva Institute-Boston. Brendon holds a BS in Kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

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Personal Trainer & Strength Coach

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How do you breathe during crunches?

Brendon Rearick
Personal Trainer & Strength Coach
Brendon Rearick is a Personal Trainer, Strength Coach, Fitness Program Director, and co-founder of Certified Functional Strength Coach (CSFC), a fitness education company in the San Francisco Bay Area. With 17 years of experience in the fitness industry, Brendon specializes in strength and conditioning, and his company CSFC has certified over 3,000 trainers in over 20 countries. Brendon has worked as a Program Director for Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning (MBSC) and earned his massage therapy license from the Cortiva Institute-Boston. Brendon holds a BS in Kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Brendon Rearick

Personal Trainer & Strength Coach

Expert Answer

Exhale as you come up for your crunch. Then, inhale as you go back down to your starting position.

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Are crunches dangerous?

Brendon Rearick
Personal Trainer & Strength Coach
Brendon Rearick is a Personal Trainer, Strength Coach, Fitness Program Director, and co-founder of Certified Functional Strength Coach (CSFC), a fitness education company in the San Francisco Bay Area. With 17 years of experience in the fitness industry, Brendon specializes in strength and conditioning, and his company CSFC has certified over 3,000 trainers in over 20 countries. Brendon has worked as a Program Director for Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning (MBSC) and earned his massage therapy license from the Cortiva Institute-Boston. Brendon holds a BS in Kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Brendon Rearick

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Expert Answer

Not if you do them safely. Make sure you have good form and don't overextend, as you could strain your upper back. Additionally, keep your neck neutral and don't try to use your hands to pull up your neck.

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Try staring at one spot as you crunch, to keep concentration.

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Remember to stretch before and after a workout.

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Always stay hydrated when exercising.

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Warnings

Know the limits to what your body can and can't handle. Don't work out to the point of injury. You should feel a stretch, not pain.

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