Ab Roller Crunch

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Lie flat on your back on a comfortable surface with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
2. Place your fingertips lightly behind your ears or cross your arms over your chest to avoid pulling on your neck.
3. Tuck your chin slightly toward your chest and press your lower back firmly into the floor to engage your transverse abdominis.

How to do it

1. Exhale forcefully and contract your abdominals to lift your head and shoulder blades off the floor in a 'rolling' motion.
2. Pause at the peak of the movement for one second, focusing on squeezing the ribs toward the pelvis.
3. Inhale as you slowly lower your torso back to the starting position, maintaining tension in the abs throughout the descent.
4. Perform the movement with a controlled tempo, taking 2 seconds to rise and 2 seconds to lower.

Form checklist

• Keep your lower back in contact with the floor at all times to protect the lumbar spine.
• Ensure the movement comes from your core, not by jerking your head or neck forward.
• Maintain a small gap (about the size of an orange) between your chin and your chest.
• Keep your feet glued to the floor; do not let them lift as you crunch upward.

Pro tips

• Imagine you are rolling your spine up like a carpet, one vertebra at a time, to maximize muscle fiber recruitment.
• At the top of the movement, blow out all of your air to achieve a deeper contraction of the deep core muscles.

Make it harder

• Lift your feet off the floor and hold your legs in a 'tabletop' position (90-degree angle) to increase core demand.
• Extend your arms straight overhead throughout the movement to increase the lever length and resistance.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the ab roller crunch work?

The ab roller crunch primarily targets the abs and obliques, and also works the erector spinae as secondary muscles.

What equipment do you need for the ab roller crunch?

The ab roller crunch requires no equipment — just your body weight.

Is the ab roller crunch good for beginners?

The ab roller crunch is rated intermediate. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.

Related exercises

• 3/4 Sit-UpBeginner · abs and obliques
• 45 Degree Bicycle Twisting CrunchIntermediate · abs and obliques
• 45 Degree Lean Back Alternate Knee RaiseBeginner · abs and obliques
• 45 Degrees Arms PlankIntermediate · abs, deltoids, obliques, and pectorals