How many reps of criss-cross should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Eight to ten rotations per side is a common set, holding each twist for a brief beat before switching. Progress by extending the reaching leg lower and holding the twist a little longer, rather than speeding through more repetitions.

How do you make criss-cross easier or harder?

To make it easier, keep the head down on the mat and just rotate the knees side to side, or keep the extended leg bent. To make it harder, lower the extended leg closer to the floor and hold each rotation for an extra count before switching.

What is criss-cross for, and when should you skip it?

It is the oblique finisher of the Pilates stomach series, training a deliberate rotational twist through the waist rather than a fast bicycle crunch. It is a poor choice with acute low-back pain during rotation, or a recent abdominal or hernia repair, since twisting under curl-up load is not appropriate that soon.

Intermediate

Criss-Cross

Criss-Cross is the oblique finisher of the Pilates stomach series, rotating the torso rib toward opposite knee with control. Unlike a fast bicycle, the emphasis is a deliberate twist that reaches through the waist, wringing out the obliques. Keeping the pelvis level while the ribs rotate is the skill it builds.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Abs
Type: Pilates, Strength
Browse by muscle: Abdominal External Oblique
Browse by movement: Rotation, Spinal Flexion

How to do it

1
Lie supine with hands laced behind the head and knees drawn into tabletop.
2
Curl the head and shoulders up and rotate the right rib toward the left knee, extending the right leg long.
3
Look past the back elbow and hold the twist for a beat, exhaling through the rotation.
4
Switch sides, drawing the right knee in and extending the left leg as the torso rotates the other way.
5
Keep the pelvis level and the extended leg reaching to a controllable height.
6
Alternate slowly, twisting from the waist rather than pulling on the neck.

Tips

Rotate the whole ribcage toward the knee, not just the elbow.
Keep the hands as a light cradle, never yanking the head forward.
Move slowly so the obliques, not momentum, drive the twist.

Variations

Common mistakes

The elbow swings toward the knee while the ribcage stays square to the ceiling, faking a rotation that never actually reaches the obliques.
Once the pelvis starts rocking side to side with each switch, the hips share credit for a twist that should come from the waist alone.
The extended leg drops low enough to pull the low back off the mat, trading oblique work for a fight to keep the spine from arching.
Speeding the switch up into a fast bicycle pace erases the deliberate hold at the top of each twist.
The chin pokes forward past the elbow instead of staying tucked, adding neck strain to a movement meant to rotate from the ribs.

Frequently asked

How many reps of criss-cross should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Eight to ten rotations per side is a common set, holding each twist for a brief beat before switching. Progress by extending the reaching leg lower and holding the twist a little longer, rather than speeding through more repetitions.
How do you make criss-cross easier or harder?: To make it easier, keep the head down on the mat and just rotate the knees side to side, or keep the extended leg bent. To make it harder, lower the extended leg closer to the floor and hold each rotation for an extra count before switching.
What is criss-cross for, and when should you skip it?: It is the oblique finisher of the Pilates stomach series, training a deliberate rotational twist through the waist rather than a fast bicycle crunch. It is a poor choice with acute low-back pain during rotation, or a recent abdominal or hernia repair, since twisting under curl-up load is not appropriate that soon.

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