Oblique Crunches - On The Floor

Also called side-lying oblique crunch, floor oblique crunch and side crunch.

Works

Abs

Equipment

Bodyweight

Level

Beginner

Type

Isolation

How to do it

Setup. Start out by lying on your right side with your legs lying on top of each other. Make sure your knees are bent a little bit.

1. Place your left hand behind your head.
2. Once you are in this set position, begin by moving your left elbow up as you would perform a normal crunch except this time the main emphasis is on your obliques.
3. Crunch as high as you can, hold the contraction for a second and then slowly drop back down into the starting position.
4. Remember to breathe in during the eccentric (lowering) part of the exercise and to breathe out during the concentric (elevation) part of the exercise.

Cues

• Lie on your side, knees slightly bent.
• Top hand behind the head.
• Crunch the elbow toward the hip.
• Hold 1 second at the top.

Common mistakes

• Yanking the head.
• Rolling onto the back.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Harder

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