Core · Bodyweight
Air Twisting Crunch
How to do the air twisting crunch, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your back with your legs lifted and knees bent at 90 degrees, hands behind your head. Crunch up and rotate one elbow across toward the opposite knee, lower with control, then twist to the other side.
- 1Your obliques contracting as you rotate across your body
- 2Your upper abs lifting your shoulder blades off the floor
- 3Your legs held steady in the air while your torso does the work
Common mistakes
- Letting your feet drift or swing for momentum
- Pulling your neck with your hands
- Crunching straight up instead of twisting across
Muscles worked
The air twisting crunch mainly works the obliques and upper abs, with the lower abs and hip flexors assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- QuadsMinor
Kovo programs the air twisting crunch for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed June 2026.