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abdominals

Crunch Machine

Seated at a machine with pads at your chest or hands, you curl forward against the weight. Lets you add weight to the crunch.

beginnercrunch machine

Crunch Machine, start position
START
Crunch Machine, end position
END
BEFORE YOU START2
  1. Set the seat so the pads or handles sit at the top of your chest.
  2. Choose a light weight with the pin.
HOW TO DO IT

Get into position

  1. Sit with your back against the pad and your feet flat or under the foot pads.
  2. Hold the handles or rest your upper chest against the pad.
  3. Sit tall with your stomach slightly tight.

Check: Your back is against the pad and the handles or chest pad are at the top of your chest.

Curl forward

  1. Tighten your stomach and curl your ribs down toward your hips. Round your upper back; do not just bow forward from the hips.
  2. Hold for a second at the bottom.

Check: Your upper back is rounded, your ribs are closer to your hips, and your hips have not left the seat.

Return slowly

  1. Let the weight bring you slowly back to sitting tall.

Check: You are sitting tall again and the weight has not touched down.

That is one rep. Repeat for your set.

Breathe out as you curl up in about 1 second; pause; breathe in as you lower over 2 seconds.

MUSCLES WORKED
Crunch Machine: muscles worked, front view
Crunch Machine: muscles worked, back view

abs

Red marks the muscles doing the work; amber the assisting ones. Same body for every exercise, so guides compare at a glance.

COMMON MISTAKES3
  • Bending forward from the hips with a straight back. The hip muscles take over from the stomach. Fix: Round your upper back and bring the ribs toward the hips.
  • Pulling with the arms. Fix: Keep the arms relaxed; the stomach moves the weight.
  • Letting the weight snap you back. Fix: Return over 2 seconds.
SAFETY1
  • Start light; it is easy to strain the neck with too much weight.
EQUIPMENT SETTINGS
  • crunch machine · seat height: the chest pad or handles sit at the top of your chest · weight: light to start
RELATED EXERCISES

easier: crunch

variants: rope ab pulldown

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