Decline sit-up

The decline bench lengthens the range and adds resistance at the start of the movement, which is where a floor crunch offers nothing. Progress from bodyweight to a plate on the chest.

• Isolation
• Bodyweight
• Beginner

How to do it

• Feet well hooked and knees bent
• Come up peeling the spine off one vertebra at a time
• Lower until you brush the bench, without resting at the top
• Add load on the chest before chasing endless reps

Sets, reps and tempo

Ranges: 8–15 reps or 20–45 s under tension · 1–2 RIR

Tempo: Slow, controlled movement; no momentum and no bouncing

Common mistakes

• Pulling on the neck with the hands behind the head
• Snapping up with momentum
• Increasing the decline before owning the previous one

Muscles worked

Primary

• Core / abs

Alternatives

• Decline Crunch
• Weighted Dumbbell Sit-Up
• Floor Crunch