How many reps of the medicine ball crunch should a beginner do?

Two to three sets of 15 reps with a light medicine ball held at the chest is a good starting point, since this version is meant as a step up from a basic crunch, not a heavy strength lift. Progress by extending the ball toward the ceiling before you reach for a heavier ball.

What can I do instead of the medicine ball crunch without a medicine ball?

Any similarly weighted household object, a filled backpack, a large book, or a weight plate, held the same way against the chest works just as well. Without any extra weight, a plain bodyweight crunch trains the same pattern.

What is the medicine ball crunch good for?

It is a simple, low-cost way to progress a bodyweight crunch once plain crunches stop being challenging, which suits beginners and intermediate trainees alike. It is a poor choice for someone chasing heavy progressive overload, since a held medicine ball tops out well below what a cable or plate-loaded crunch can offer.

Beginner

Medicine Ball Crunch

This is the simplest way to progress a bodyweight crunch once it stops challenging you. Holding the ball at the chest or slightly overhead lengthens the lever and forces the upper abs to work harder through a short, controlled range. Use it as a high-rep finisher or an early-session activation drill for any trainee comfortable with a basic crunch.

Equipment: Medicine Ball
Body part: Abs
Type: Strength
Browse by muscle: Upper Rectus Abdominals
Browse by movement: Spinal Flexion

How to do it

1
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2
Hold a medicine ball against your chest with both hands, elbows tucked.
3
Exhale and curl your shoulder blades off the floor by shortening the abs, not by yanking the neck.
4
Pause briefly at the top with the ribs pulled toward the pelvis.
5
Inhale and lower under control until your shoulders lightly touch down.
6
Keep the lower back in contact with the floor throughout.

Tips

Drive the movement from the ribs, not the chin; keep a gap between chin and chest.
To make it harder, extend the ball toward the ceiling to lengthen the lever.
Move slowly on the way down to keep tension on the abs the whole set.

Variations

Common mistakes

The ball drifts away from the chest as the arms straighten, turning a short ab curl into a shoulder-flexion exercise.
Elbows flare wide to the sides instead of staying tucked, which spreads the load into the shoulders instead of keeping it on the ribs.
Squeezing the ball tightly between both hands tenses the forearms and shoulders long before the abs are asked to do anything.
Popping the shoulders up fast at the start of the rep uses momentum to clear the floor instead of a shortened, controlled curl.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the medicine ball crunch should a beginner do?: Two to three sets of 15 reps with a light medicine ball held at the chest is a good starting point, since this version is meant as a step up from a basic crunch, not a heavy strength lift. Progress by extending the ball toward the ceiling before you reach for a heavier ball.
What can I do instead of the medicine ball crunch without a medicine ball?: Any similarly weighted household object, a filled backpack, a large book, or a weight plate, held the same way against the chest works just as well. Without any extra weight, a plain bodyweight crunch trains the same pattern.
What is the medicine ball crunch good for?: It is a simple, low-cost way to progress a bodyweight crunch once plain crunches stop being challenging, which suits beginners and intermediate trainees alike. It is a poor choice for someone chasing heavy progressive overload, since a held medicine ball tops out well below what a cable or plate-loaded crunch can offer.

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