Exercise Ball Crunch
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using an exercise ball.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Exercise Ball Crunch
- Lie on an exercise ball with your lower back curvature pressed against the spherical surface of the ball. Your feet should be bent at the knee and pressed firmly against the floor. The upper torso should be hanging off the top of the ball. The arms should either be kept alongside the body or crossed on top of your chest as these positions avoid neck strains (as opposed to the hands behind the back of the head position).
- Lower your torso into a stretch position keeping the neck stationary at all times. This will be your starting position.
- With the hips stationary, flex the waist by contracting the abdominals and curl the shoulders and trunk upward until you feel a nice contraction on your abdominals. The arms should simply slide up the side of your legs if you have them at the side or just stay on top of your chest if you have them crossed. The lower back should always stay in contact with the ball. Exhale as you perform this movement and hold the contraction for a second.
- As you inhale, go back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Exercise Ball Crunch
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.
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1
Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side Bends
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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2
Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.
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3
Exercise Ball Pull-In
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, using an exercise ball.
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4
Cable Crunch
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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5
Cable Reverse Crunch
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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6
Cable Seated Crunch
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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7
Cross-Body Crunch
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.
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8
Crunch - Hands Overhead
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.
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9
Decline Oblique Crunch
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.
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10
Decline Reverse Crunch
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do exercise ball crunch work?
Exercise Ball Crunch primarily works the abs.
What equipment do I need for exercise ball crunch?
Exercise Ball Crunch uses exercise ball.
Exercise Ball Crunch: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Exercise Ball Crunch 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 exercise ball crunch?
Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side Bends, Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball, Exercise Ball Pull-In train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my exercise ball crunch reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; exercise ball crunch 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 Exercise Ball Crunch 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.