Exercise guide · Intermediate · Compound
Weighted Crunch: How to Do It & Muscles Worked
The weighted crunch is an abdominal exercise that increases resistance to strengthen the abs and obliques. It is performed lying on your back, holding a weight on your chest, and curling your upper body upward.
How to do the weighted crunch
- Step 1: Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Step 2: Hold a weight plate or dumbbell on your chest.
- Step 3: Engage your abs and lift your upper body off the ground, curling forward until your shoulder blades are off the ground.
- Step 4: Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Step 5: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Sets, reps and programming
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Rest | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3–5 | 3–6 | 3–5 min | 1–3 reps in reserve |
| Muscle growth | 3–4 | 6–12 | 2–3 min | 1–2 reps in reserve |
| Muscular endurance | 2–3 | 12–20 | 1–2 min | 1–3 reps in reserve |
Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.
Weighted Crunch alternatives
More exercises that train the abs as their main target:
-
Arm Slingers Hanging Bent Knee Legs
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Arms Overhead Full Sit-Up (Male)
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Assisted Lying Leg Raise with Lateral Throw Down
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Assisted Lying Leg Raise with Throw Down
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Band Alternating V-Up
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Band Assisted Wheel Rollerout
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Band Bicycle Crunch
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Band Jack Knife Sit-Up
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More abs exercises
-
Dead Bug
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Hanging Leg Raise
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3/4 Sit-Up
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45° Side Bend
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Air Bike
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Alternate Heel Touchers
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Sources
- American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
- Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.
Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.
This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.