Core · Bodyweight
Hands Overhead Crunch
How to do the hands overhead crunch, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your back with knees bent and arms extended straight overhead, biceps by your ears. Keeping your arms locked in that position, crunch your upper body off the floor using your abs, then lower under control. The overhead arm position lengthens the lever and makes the crunch harder.
- 1Feel your upper abs curl your shoulders off the floor
- 2Keep your arms locked overhead as a fixed lever
- 3Exhale and squeeze your abs at the top of each rep
Common mistakes
- Do not throw your arms forward to gain momentum
- Avoid pulling your head with your arms
- Do not arch your lower back off the floor
Muscles worked
The hands overhead crunch mainly works the upper abs, with the lower abs and obliques assisting.
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- LatsMinor
- QuadsMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the hands overhead 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.