10 Best Crunch (On Stability Ball) Alternatives for Lower-Back Pain
The Crunch (On Stability Ball) is done lying on your back with a stability ball. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Decline Crunch, the Crunch (Hands Overhead) and the Crunch Floor. A harder version, the Arms Straight) Crunch (On Stability Ball, is listed below as a progression rather than a swap.
Updated Ranked by our 12-factor similarity model How it works
Original Exercise: Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Primary muscle
- Abs
- Equipment
- Stability-ball
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Type
- Isolation
Secondary muscles: Hip Flexors
How to perform Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Sit on the stability ball with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Lie back on the ball until your lower back is supported and your upper body is parallel to the floor.
- Place your hands behind your head or across your chest.
- Engage your abs and lift your upper body towards your knees, curling your torso forward.
- Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Ranked Crunch (On Stability Ball) Alternatives
10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Crunch (On Stability Ball) on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Open "How to perform this exercise" on a card for 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.
Best match 1. Decline Crunch
98% match- Abs
- Bodyweight
- Intermediate
- Isolation
Use this when you have nothing to train with, because it works the abs with bodyweight alone.
How to perform this exercise
- Lie on a decline bench with your feet secured and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Place your hands behind your head or across your chest.
- Engage your abs and lift your upper body towards your knees, curling your torso.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.
Why this matches
- Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Balance: easier to stay steady on than the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
Progression
- Abs
- Stability-ball
- Intermediate
- Isolation
Pick this when you want a harder version that still works the abs.
How to perform this exercise
- Sit on the stability ball with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Lie back on the ball until your lower back is supported and your upper body is parallel to the floor.
- Place your hands behind your head or cross them over your chest.
- Engage your abs and lift your upper body off the ball, curling your shoulders towards your hips.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.
Why this matches
- Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
3. Crunch (Hands Overhead)
96% match- Abs
- Bodyweight
- Intermediate
- Isolation
How to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Extend your arms straight above your head.
- Engaging your abs, lift your upper body off the ground, curling forward towards your knees.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.
Why this matches
- Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
4. Crunch Floor
96% match- Abs
- Bodyweight
- Beginner
- Isolation
How to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
- Engage your abs and lift your shoulders off the ground, curling forward towards your knees.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your shoulders back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, and add reps before you add load.
Why this matches
- Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
5. Prisoner Half Sit-up
96% match- Abs
- Bodyweight
- Beginner
- Isolation
How to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
- Engaging your abs, slowly lift your upper body off the ground, curling forward until your torso is at a 45-degree angle.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, and add reps before you add load.
Why this matches
- Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
6. Cocoons
94% match- Abs
- Bodyweight
- Beginner
- Isolation
How to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
- Engaging your abs, slowly lift your upper body off the ground, curling forward until your torso is at a 45-degree angle.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, and add reps before you add load.
Why this matches
- Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
7. Cross Body Crunch
91% match- Abs
- Bodyweight
- Beginner
- Isolation
Pick this when you want an easier version that works the abs one side at a time.
How to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
- Engaging your abs, lift your upper body off the ground and twist to bring your right elbow towards your left knee.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat on the other side, bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps on each side, and add reps before you add load.
Why this matches
- Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
8. Half Sit-up
91% match- Abs
- Bodyweight
- Beginner
- Isolation
How to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
- Engaging your abs, slowly lift your upper body off the ground, curling forward until your torso is at a 45-degree angle.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, and add reps before you add load.
Why this matches
- Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
9. Quarter Sit-up
91% match- Abs
- Bodyweight
- Beginner
- Isolation
How to perform this exercise
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
- Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
- Engaging your abs, slowly lift your upper body off the ground, curling forward until your torso is at a 45-degree angle.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, and add reps before you add load.
Why this matches
- Primary muscle: abs, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
10. Exercise Ball Crunch
90% match- Abs
- Stability-ball
- Beginner
- Isolation
How to perform this exercise
- Lie on an exercise ball with your lower back curvature pressed against the spherical surface of the ball. Your feet should be bent at the knee and pressed firmly against the floor. The upper torso should be hanging off the top of the ball. The arms should either be kept alongside the body or crossed on top of your chest as these positions avoid neck strains (as opposed to the hands behind the back of the head position).
- Lower your torso into a stretch position keeping the neck stationary at all times. This will be your starting position.
- With the hips stationary, flex the waist by contracting the abdominals and curl the shoulders and trunk upward until you feel a nice contraction on your abdominals. The arms should simply slide up the side of your legs if you have them at the side or just stay on top of your chest if you have them crossed. The lower back should always stay in contact with the ball. Exhale as you perform this movement and hold the contraction for a second.
- As you inhale, go back to the starting position.
- 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: abs, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
- Body position: lying on your back, the same as the Crunch (On Stability Ball)
Crunch (On Stability Ball) FAQ
What muscles does Crunch (on Stability Ball) work?
The stability-ball crunch primarily targets the rectus abdominis with secondary help from the external obliques and hip flexors. The ball increases range of motion at the lumbar spine and challenges stabilizers like the transverse abdominis and erector spinae to maintain balance.
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