10 Best Oblique Crunches Alternatives for Home Workouts

If you can’t do oblique crunches, use exercises like side-plank hip dips, Russian twists, bicycle crunches, standing side bends, or plank hip drops to target the same oblique fibers. Cue: brace the core, exhale on the contraction, and keep ribs stacked to maximize external oblique activation and reduce lumbar flexion.

Original Exercise: Oblique Crunches

Oblique Crunches
Primary Muscle
Abs
Equipment
Body-weight
Difficulty
Beginner
Type
Isolation
How to Perform Oblique Crunches
  1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. For this exercise, you will need to put one hand beside your head and the other to the side against the floor.
  2. Make sure your feet are elevated and resting on a flat surface.
  3. Now lift the shoulder in which your hand is touching your head.
  4. Simply elevate your shoulder and body upward until you touch your knee. For example, if you have your right hand besides your head, then you want to elevate your body upwards until your right elbow touches your left knee. The same variation can be applied doing the inverse and using your left elbow to touch your right knee.
  5. After your knee touches your elbow, lower your body until you have reached the starting position.
  6. Remember to breathe in during the eccentric (lowering) part of the exercise and to breathe out during the concentric (upward) part of the exercise.
  7. Continue alternating in this manner until all of the recommended repetitions for each side have been completed.
Pro Tips
  • Category: Strength
  • Force: Pull
  • Movement type: Isolation

Best Oblique Crunches Alternatives

Best Match
Elbow-to-knee

1. Elbow-to-knee

96% Match
Abs Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start by lying flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
  3. Engage your abs and lift your upper body off the ground, bringing your right elbow towards your left knee.
  4. At the same time, bring your left knee towards your right elbow, creating a twisting motion.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body and extend your legs back to the starting position.
Alternate Heel Touchers

2. Alternate Heel Touchers

95% Match
Abs Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Extend your arms straight out to the sides, parallel to the ground.
  3. Engaging your abs, lift your shoulders off the ground and reach your right hand towards your right heel.
  4. Return to the starting position and repeat on the left side, reaching your left hand towards your left heel.
  5. Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.
Cross Body Crunch

3. Cross Body Crunch

88.4% Match
Abs Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
  3. Engaging your abs, lift your upper body off the ground and twist to bring your right elbow towards your left knee.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat on the other side, bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
3/4 Sit-up

4. 3/4 Sit-up

88% Match
Abs Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
  3. Engaging your abs, slowly lift your upper body off the ground, curling forward until your torso is at a 45-degree angle.
  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.
Dead Bug

5. Dead Bug

86% Match
Abs Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back with your arms extended towards the ceiling.
  2. Bend your knees and lift your legs off the ground, creating a 90-degree angle at your hips and knees.
  3. Engage your core and lower back to press your lower back into the ground.
  4. Slowly lower your right arm and left leg towards the ground, keeping them straight and hovering just above the floor.
  5. Pause for a moment, then return to the starting position.
Band Bicycle Crunch

6. Band Bicycle Crunch

84.7% Match
Abs Band Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back with your hands behind your head and your knees bent.
  2. Lift your feet off the ground and bring your right knee towards your chest while simultaneously twisting your torso to bring your left elbow towards your right knee.
  3. Straighten your right leg while bringing your left knee towards your chest and twisting your torso to bring your right elbow towards your left knee.
  4. Continue alternating the twisting motion, as if you are pedaling a bicycle, while keeping your core engaged throughout the movement.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Bent Knee Lying Twist (male)

7. Bent Knee Lying Twist (male)

83.7% Match
Glutes Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Extend your arms out to the sides, perpendicular to your body.
  3. Keeping your knees together, slowly lower them to one side, aiming to touch the ground with your knees.
  4. Pause for a moment, then engage your core and slowly lift your knees back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat the movement to the other side.
Crunch (hands Overhead)

8. Crunch (hands Overhead)

82.4% Match
Abs Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Extend your arms straight above your head.
  3. Engaging your abs, lift your upper body off the ground, curling forward towards your knees.
  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.
Crunch Floor

9. Crunch Floor

82.4% Match
Abs Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
  3. Engage your abs and lift your shoulders off the ground, curling forward towards your knees.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your shoulders back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Decline Crunch

10. Decline Crunch

82.2% Match
Abs Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.

Why You Might Need a Oblique Crunches Alternative

You may swap oblique crunches due to wrist, neck, or lower-back pain, limited mobility, or a need for progression. Side-plank variations remove spinal flexion and load the external obliques isometrically; rotational moves like Russian twists train obliques through transverse plane torque. If you lack equipment or need lower spine-friendly options, choose anti-rotation holds. Cue: keep hips level and drive force from the waist so the obliques, not the hip flexors, do the work.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Select a substitute based on your goal (strength, endurance, or stability), injury history, and movement pattern preference. For single-side isolation choose lateral flexion moves (standing side bends) with a controlled tempo and an intentional squeeze of the external oblique at peak contraction. For rotational power pick Russian twists or bicycle crunches, focusing on initiating movement from the ribs and obliques. If you need spine-safe training, use anti-rotation holds (pallof press or side plank) and cue a neutral pelvis and deep exhale to maintain intra-abdominal pressure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Oblique Crunches work?

Oblique crunches primarily target the external and internal obliques along the waist, with secondary recruitment of the rectus abdominis and hip flexors. The movement uses lateral flexion and trunk rotation, so cue a short, controlled squeeze at the top to emphasize oblique contraction.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Oblique Crunches?

A side-plank hip dip is the best bodyweight alternative for most people because it loads the external obliques isometrically while reducing spinal flexion. Cue: stack hips, lower them slowly toward the ground, then drive up using your obliques and exhale on the lift.

Can I build muscle without doing Oblique Crunches?

Yes. You can hypertrophy obliques with progressive overload via harder bodyweight variations (weighted Russian twists or single-arm carries) or by increasing time under tension with slow eccentric-laden side bends. Focus on full range, deliberate muscle contraction, and progressive difficulty to stimulate growth.

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