10 Best Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball Alternatives for No-Ball Workouts

The 10 Best Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page. Harder versions are tagged as progressions and kept out of the top spot even when they score higher.

1. 

   1. Crunches

   98% match

   Abdominals · Beginner · Isolation

   Use this when you have nothing to train with, because it works the abdominals with bodyweight alone.

   • Bodyweight

   How to perform it

   1. Lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground, or resting on a bench with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle. If you are resting your feet on a bench, place them three to four inches apart and point your toes inward so they touch.
   2. Now place your hands lightly on either side of your head keeping your elbows in. Tip: Don't lock your fingers behind your head.
   3. While pushing the small of your back down in the floor to better isolate your abdominal muscles, begin to roll your shoulders off the floor.
   4. Continue to push down as hard as you can with your lower back as you contract your abdominals and exhale. Your shoulders should come up off the floor only about four inches, and your lower back should remain on the floor. At the top of the movement, contract your abdominals hard and keep the contraction for a second. Tip: Focus on slow, controlled movement - don't cheat yourself by using momentum.
   5. After the one second contraction, begin to come down slowly again to the starting position as you inhale.
   6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

   Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, and add reps before you add load.

   Why this matches

   • Primary muscle: abdominals, the same as the Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball
   • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball
   • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball
2. Play demonstration

   2. Decline Crunch

   85% match

   Abs · Intermediate · Isolation

   A looser match: it works the abs rather than the abdominals.

   • Bodyweight

   How to perform it

   1. Lie on a decline bench with your feet secured and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
   2. Place your hands behind your head or across your chest.
   3. Engage your abs and lift your upper body towards your knees, curling your torso.
   4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
   5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

   Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

   Why this matches

   • Primary muscle: abs, not abdominals
   • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball
   • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball

3. 3. Decline Oblique Crunch

   84% match

   Abdominals · Intermediate · Isolation

4. 4. Crunch (Hands Overhead)

   84% match

   Abs · Intermediate · Isolation

5. 5. Crunch Floor

   84% match

   Abs · Beginner · Isolation

6. 6. Prisoner Half Sit-up

   83% match

   Abs · Beginner · Isolation

7. Play demonstration

   Progression

   7. Crunch (On Stability Ball)

   83% match

   Abs · Intermediate · Isolation

   A looser match: it uses the same equipment, but it works the abs rather than the abdominals.

   • Stability-ball

   How to perform it

   1. Sit on the stability ball with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
   2. Lie back on the ball until your lower back is supported and your upper body is parallel to the floor.
   3. Place your hands behind your head or across your chest.
   4. Engage your abs and lift your upper body towards your knees, curling your torso forward.
   5. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
   6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

   Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

   Why this matches

   • Primary muscle: abs, not abdominals
   • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball
   • Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball
   • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball

8. Progression

   8. Arms Straight) Crunch (On Stability Ball

   82% match

   Abs · Intermediate · Isolation

9. 9. Cocoons

   80% match

   Abs · Beginner · Isolation

10. 10. Half Sit-up

    78% match

    Abs · Beginner · Isolation