Tuck Crunch

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

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

How to Do Tuck Crunch

  1. To begin, lie down on the floor or an exercise mat with your back pressed against the floor. Your arms should be lying across your sides with the palms facing down.
  2. Your legs should be crossed by wrapping one ankle around the other. Slowly elevate your legs up in the air until your thighs are perpendicular to the floor with a slight bend at the knees. Note: Your knees and toes should be parallel to the floor as opposed to the thighs.
  3. Move your arms from the floor and cross them so they are resting on your chest. This is the starting position.
  4. While keeping your lower back pressed against the floor, slowly lift your torso. Remember to exhale while perform this part of the exercise.
  5. Slowly begin to lower your torso back down to the starting position while inhaling.
  6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Muscles Worked

Front

Primary

Where Tuck Crunch does most of its work.

Alternatives to Tuck 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.

  1. 1 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
  2. 2 Cable Crunch

    Cable Crunch

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

    beginner Cable Machine
  3. 3 Cable Reverse Crunch

    Cable Reverse Crunch

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

    beginner Cable Machine
  4. 4 Cable Seated Crunch

    Cable Seated Crunch

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

    beginner Cable Machine
  5. 5 Exercise Ball Crunch

    Exercise Ball Crunch

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

    beginner Exercise Ball
  6. 6 Kneeling Cable Crunch With Alternating Oblique Twists

    Kneeling Cable Crunch With Alternating Oblique Twists

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

    beginner Cable Machine
  7. 7 Rope Crunch

    Rope Crunch

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

    beginner Cable Machine
  8. 8 Standing Rope Crunch

    Standing Rope Crunch

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

    beginner Cable Machine
  9. 9 Suspended Reverse Crunch

    Suspended Reverse Crunch

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs.

    beginner Not specified
  10. 10 Cross-Body Crunch

    Cross-Body Crunch

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

    beginner No Equipment

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles do tuck crunch work?

Tuck Crunch primarily works the abs.

What equipment do I need for tuck crunch?

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

Tuck Crunch: is it suitable for beginners?

Yes. Tuck 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 tuck crunch?

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

Can Fitnit count my tuck crunch reps automatically?

Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; tuck 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 Tuck 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.