Core · Resistance Band
Band Upper Crunch
How to do the band upper crunch, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Resistance Band
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Kneel in front of a resistance band anchored high, holding the band near your head with both hands. Crunch down by hinging from your rib cage and pulling with your abs, keeping your spine neutral, then return slowly against the tension.
- 1You should feel a strong contraction through your entire abdominal wall
- 2Keep your spine neutral as you hinge from your rib cage down
- 3Anchor the band behind your head and focus on pulling with your abs, not your arms
Common mistakes
- Avoid pulling the band with your arms
- Don't use your hip flexors to initiate the movement
- Stay smooth; no jerky motions or excessive momentum
Muscles worked
The band upper crunch mainly works the upper abs and lower abs, with the obliques assisting.
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- ObliquesSupport
- QuadsMinor
Kovo programs the band upper 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.