Cocoons

A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.

Cocoons — Starting position Starting position
Cocoons — End position End position
Difficulty Beginner
Type Strength
Equipment No Equipment
Primary Muscle Abs
AI Rep Counting Log manually

How to Do Cocoons

  1. Begin by lying on your back on the ground. Your legs should be straight and your arms extended behind your head. This will be your starting position.
  2. To perform the movement, tuck the knees toward your chest, rotating your pelvis to lift your glutes from the floor. As you do so, flex the spine, bringing your arms back over your head to perform a simultaneous crunch motion.
  3. After a brief pause, return to the starting position.

Muscles Worked

Front

Primary

Where Cocoons does most of its work.

Alternatives to Cocoons

10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.

  1. 1 Barbell Side Bend

    Barbell Side Bend

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a barbell.

    beginner Barbell
  2. 2 Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side Bends

    Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side Bends

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.

    beginner Cable Machine
  3. 3 Cable Crunch

    Cable Crunch

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.

    beginner Cable Machine
  4. 4 Cable Judo Flip

    Cable Judo Flip

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.

    beginner Cable Machine
  5. 5 Cable Reverse Crunch

    Cable Reverse Crunch

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.

    beginner Cable Machine
  6. 6 Cable Russian Twists

    Cable Russian Twists

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.

    beginner Cable Machine
  7. 7 Cable Seated Crunch

    Cable Seated Crunch

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.

    beginner Cable Machine
  8. 8 Crunches

    Crunches

    Crunches are a classic abdominal exercise that isolates the rectus abdominis. When performed correctly, they're an effective way to build core strength and muscular endurance.

    beginner No Equipment AI tracked
  9. 9 Dumbbell Side Bend

    Dumbbell Side Bend

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using dumbbells.

    beginner Dumbbells
  10. 10 Exercise Ball Crunch

    Exercise Ball Crunch

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using an exercise ball.

    beginner Exercise Ball

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles do cocoons work?

Cocoons primarily works the abs.

What equipment do I need for cocoons?

None. Cocoons is a bodyweight movement you can do anywhere you have floor space.

Cocoons: is it suitable for beginners?

Yes. Cocoons is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.

What can I do instead of cocoons?

Barbell Side Bend, Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side Bends, Cable Crunch train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.

Can Fitnit count my cocoons reps automatically?

Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; cocoons can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.

Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.

Track Your Cocoons with AI

Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.