Core · Bodyweight
Straight Arms Twisting Crunch
How to do the straight arms twisting 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
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your back with knees bent and arms extended straight overhead or in front of you. Crunch up and rotate your torso to one side, reaching your straight arms across, then lower and alternate to the other side each rep.
- 1Your obliques driving the twist to each side
- 2Your upper abs lifting your shoulders off the floor
- 3A controlled reach with the arms staying straight
Common mistakes
- Yanking with your arms instead of rotating your core
- Letting your lower back lift off the floor
- Rushing through reps and losing the twist
Muscles worked
The straight arms 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
- Front DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the straight arms 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.