Core · Bodyweight
Twisting Crunch
How to do the 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
- Reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your back with knees bent and hands behind your head. Curl up and rotate your torso so one elbow drives toward the opposite knee, then lower under control and alternate sides each rep.
- 1Your obliques squeezing as you twist across the body
- 2The whole abdominal wall bracing through each crunch
- 3A controlled rotation from the ribs, not the arms
Common mistakes
- Yanking on your head and neck to turn
- Using momentum to fling yourself across
- Pulling with your hip flexors instead of your abs
Muscles worked
The 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 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.