Core · Bodyweight
Long Arm Crunch
How to do the long arm 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 feet flat, and extend both arms straight overhead alongside your ears. Keeping your arms long and locked in place, crunch your upper back off the floor, then lower with control.
- 1The upper abs doing the work while your arms stay long
- 2A short curl of the shoulder blades off the floor
- 3The extra arm lever making the crunch harder than usual
Common mistakes
- Swinging your arms forward to gain momentum
- Pulling your chin to your chest or straining your neck
- Lifting your lower back off the floor
Muscles worked
The long arm crunch mainly works the upper abs, with the lower abs and obliques assisting.
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- LatsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the long arm 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.