The decline crunch is an abdominal exercise performed on a decline bench, targeting the abs and engaging the hip flexors as secondary muscles. It involves curling the torso upward while lying on a downward-sloping surface.
Also Works
Hip Flexors
How to Perform
1
Lie on a decline bench with your feet secured and your knees bent at a 90 degree angle.
2
Place your hands behind your head or across your chest.
3
Engage your abs and lift your upper body towards your knees, curling your torso.
4
Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
5
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Pro Tips
•Secure your feet at the top of the decline bench and lie back. The decline angle increases the range of motion and gravity resistance compared to floor crunches.
•Curl your spine segment by segment. Do not sit all the way up; stop when your abs are fully contracted, which is about 30-40 degrees off the bench.
•Lower yourself slowly (3 seconds) back to the start. The decline forces a longer eccentric, which is great for ab development.
Common Mistakes
•Sitting all the way up past the contraction point, which uses the hip flexors for the top half of the movement.
•Using momentum to swing up rather than curling the spine with ab strength.
•Setting the bench angle too steep, which makes the exercise hip-flexor dominant and increases lower back stress.