What is a good Side Crunch?
For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Side Crunch is about 46 reps. Advanced starts around 76 reps. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.
Competition results, gym submissions, and reader logs stay labeled separately so the ranking source is clear.
A solid (Intermediate) Side Crunch for a 180 lb male is about 46 reps. Use the calculator below to convert your own Side Crunch into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 76 reps.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately
How strong is your Side Crunch? Compare your max reps against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.
How Many Side Crunch Should You Be Able to Do?
A fit adult man at about 180 lb should be able to do around 46 Side Crunch in one set, which is an Intermediate result. An advanced lifter does 76+, and an elite lifter reaches 110 or more.
Side Crunch rep targets for a 180 lb man, by training level:
Men vs women: a 180 lb man should do about 46 Side Crunch at an Intermediate level, while a 140 lb woman should do about 30.
By age: at an Intermediate level a 30 year old does about 47 Side Crunch, dropping to about 39 by age 50. See the By Age tab for every band.
What counts as a good number? Anything at or above the Intermediate target puts you past the beginner and novice bands for your bodyweight. Beginners often start with 3 and build up; clearing the Advanced number is a strong target for trained gym lifters.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with gym and competition datasets labeled separately
How Strong Is Your Side Crunch?
That clears the median for this bodyweight and gives you a useful benchmark for the next tier.
Illustrative: a normal-distribution model anchored to the real Beginner to Elite percentile thresholds for your bodyweight. The marker shows where your rep count falls, not a measured frequency count.
Reader Data Is Still Building
We do not have enough reader-submitted Side Crunch entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:
Baseline figures for a 180 lb male at Intermediate level, from the standards table. This is not reader-submitted data. So far readers have logged a lift here.
How Much Should You Side Crunch?
Use this table to find the standard closest to your bodyweight. The tiers are standards, not claims about reader submissions.
How a male lifter's expected 1RM scales with bodyweight at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.
| BW (lbs) | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 | < 1 | 17 | 48 | 89 | 134 |
| 120 | < 1 | 18 | 49 | 87 | 130 |
| 130 | < 1 | 19 | 49 | 85 | 127 |
| 140 | < 1 | 20 | 48 | 83 | 123 |
| 150 | < 1 | 20 | 48 | 82 | 119 |
| 160 | 1 | 21 | 47 | 80 | 116 |
| 170 | 2 | 21 | 47 | 78 | 113 |
| 180 | 3 | 21 | 46 | 76 | 110 |
| 190 | 3 | 21 | 45 | 75 | 107 |
| 200 | 4 | 21 | 45 | 73 | 104 |
| 210 | 4 | 21 | 44 | 71 | 102 |
| 220 | 4 | 21 | 43 | 70 | 99 |
| 230 | 5 | 21 | 42 | 68 | 97 |
| 240 | 5 | 20 | 42 | 67 | 94 |
| 250 | 5 | 20 | 41 | 65 | 92 |
| 260 | 5 | 20 | 40 | 64 | 90 |
| 270 | 5 | 20 | 40 | 63 | 88 |
| 280 | 5 | 19 | 39 | 62 | 86 |
| 290 | 5 | 19 | 38 | 60 | 84 |
| 300 | 5 | 19 | 37 | 59 | 83 |
| 310 | 5 | 18 | 37 | 58 | 81 |
| 90 | < 1 | 9 | 34 | 65 | 101 |
| 100 | < 1 | 10 | 33 | 63 | 96 |
| 110 | < 1 | 10 | 33 | 60 | 92 |
| 120 | < 1 | 10 | 32 | 58 | 88 |
| 130 | < 1 | 10 | 31 | 56 | 84 |
| 140 | < 1 | 10 | 30 | 54 | 80 |
| 150 | < 1 | 10 | 29 | 52 | 77 |
| 160 | < 1 | 10 | 28 | 50 | 74 |
| 170 | < 1 | 10 | 27 | 48 | 71 |
| 180 | < 1 | 9 | 26 | 46 | 69 |
| 190 | < 1 | 9 | 25 | 45 | 66 |
| 200 | < 1 | 9 | 24 | 43 | 64 |
| 210 | < 1 | 9 | 23 | 42 | 62 |
| 220 | < 1 | 8 | 23 | 40 | 60 |
| 230 | < 1 | 8 | 22 | 39 | 58 |
| 240 | < 1 | 8 | 21 | 38 | 56 |
| 250 | < 1 | 7 | 20 | 36 | 54 |
| 260 | < 1 | 7 | 20 | 35 | 52 |
Is Your Side Crunch Good?
A quick read on what counts as a good Side Crunch at each level, for a typical male and female lifter.
Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Side Crunch is about 46 reps. Advanced lifters hit 76 reps, and Elite is 110 reps.
Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Side Crunch is about 30 reps. Advanced lifters hit 54 reps, and Elite is 80 reps.
Side Crunch Rep Targets by Bodyweight and Age
Men: a 180 lb male should do about 46 reps at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 3 reps).
Women: a 140 lb female should do about 30 reps at an Intermediate level.
By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter does about 48 reps, and a 220 lb lifter does about 43 reps at an Intermediate level. Find your exact bodyweight in the table above.
By age (men): at an Intermediate level a 30 year old male does about 47 reps, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 39 reps. See the By Age tab for every age band.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately
How Does Age Affect Side Crunch Strength?
How Side Crunch standards change across different age groups. Values represent a 1RM in lbs.
How a male lifter's expected 1RM changes with age at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | < 1 | 12 | 36 | 65 | 98 |
| 20 | < 1 | 18 | 45 | 79 | 116 |
| 25 | < 1 | 19 | 47 | 81 | 120 |
| 30 | < 1 | 19 | 47 | 81 | 120 |
| 35 | < 1 | 19 | 47 | 81 | 120 |
| 40 | < 1 | 19 | 47 | 81 | 120 |
| 45 | < 1 | 17 | 43 | 76 | 112 |
| 50 | < 1 | 14 | 39 | 69 | 104 |
| 55 | < 1 | 10 | 34 | 62 | 94 |
| 60 | < 1 | 8 | 28 | 54 | 83 |
| 65 | < 1 | 5 | 23 | 46 | 72 |
| 70 | < 1 | 1 | 17 | 38 | 62 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | 12 | 31 | 52 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 25 | 43 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 19 | 36 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | 2 | 14 | 29 |
| 15 | < 1 | 4 | 21 | 43 | 68 |
| 20 | < 1 | 9 | 29 | 54 | 83 |
| 25 | < 1 | 9 | 30 | 56 | 85 |
| 30 | < 1 | 9 | 30 | 56 | 85 |
| 35 | < 1 | 9 | 30 | 56 | 85 |
| 40 | < 1 | 9 | 30 | 56 | 85 |
| 45 | < 1 | 8 | 27 | 52 | 80 |
| 50 | < 1 | 6 | 24 | 47 | 73 |
| 55 | < 1 | 3 | 20 | 41 | 65 |
| 60 | < 1 | < 1 | 15 | 35 | 57 |
| 65 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 29 | 49 |
| 70 | < 1 | < 1 | 8 | 23 | 41 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | 4 | 17 | 33 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 12 | 27 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 21 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 16 |
What Do Side Crunch Strength Standards Mean?
Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning the movement on the Side Crunch, building the controlled movement pattern and mind-muscle connection needed to train the target muscle effectively.
Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can perform the Side Crunch with strict form and a smooth tempo. You are adding resistance progressively without sacrificing range of motion or using body English.
Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your Side Crunch is performed with excellent control and targeted tension. You use RPE to manage isolation work intensity and program it strategically within your training split.
Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have built significant strength on the Side Crunch through disciplined, progressive training. You employ advanced techniques like drop sets, pauses, and tempo work to continue driving adaptation.
Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your Side Crunch strength is at the upper end of what most lifters achieve. You have maximized the target muscle development through years of focused, periodized isolation work.
How to Progress Your Side Crunch
Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Side Crunch to the next level.
- Train the Side Crunch 2x per week with slow, controlled reps.
- Focus on full range of motion and eliminating momentum or swinging.
- Keep sets at RPE 6-7 to develop proper movement patterns.
- Build the mind-muscle connection - feel the target muscle working on every rep.
- Increase load progressively while keeping strict form on the Side Crunch.
- Program 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps at RPE 7-8.
- Add a variation (different grip, angle, or equipment) to address development gaps.
- Place isolation work after your primary compound movements.
- Use drop sets, paused reps, and partial reps to break through Side Crunch plateaus.
- Train at RPE 8-9 with advanced intensity techniques on your last 1-2 sets.
- Manipulate tempo to increase time under tension without compromising form.
- Manage total volume for the target muscle group across all exercises.
- Maximize Side Crunch strength through precise programming and fatigue management.
- Use periodized blocks to cycle between volume, intensity, and deload phases.
- Quality of contraction matters more than load at this level.
- Continuous refinement of technique will yield the remaining gains.
How to Perform Side Crunch
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Place your hands behind your head, elbows wide, or cross them over your chest.
- Engage your core and lift your shoulder blades off the floor, twisting your torso to bring your right elbow towards your left knee.
- Lower back down to the starting position with control.
- Repeat the movement on the opposite side, bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
- Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.
Tips for Side Crunch
- Keep your lower back pressed into the floor to avoid strain.
- Do not pull on your neck with your hands; use your core to lift.
- Move in a controlled manner to maximize muscle engagement.
- Exhale as you lift and twist, inhale as you return to starting position.
Where Do These Side Crunch Standards Come From?
FitnessVolt keeps each data population labeled. Competition percentiles use verified raw meet results where available. Gym percentile tabs use self-reported Symmetric Strength data. Reader-submitted benchmarks appear only after enough entries are logged for this lift.
Standards data last refreshed: March 28, 2026
Is Your Side Crunch Good for Your Weight?
Use this page to compare your Side Crunch against clearly labeled standards and percentile datasets. Here is the cleanest way to read it:
- Start with Standards to find the tier closest to your bodyweight.
- Use Gym Percentiles when you want self-reported gym comparisons.
- Use Competition for verified meet-result percentiles where the lift supports it.
- Use By Age when age-segmented gym data is available.
If you do not know your 1RM, use the one rep max calculator to estimate it from any rep set. For example, if you can Side Crunch 185 lbs for 5 reps, the calculator will estimate your max.
The important rule: do not mix the tabs. Standards, gym percentiles, competition percentiles, and reader logs answer different questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
