RepCount App IconRepCount

Sit-up alternatives

Crunches and machine crunches offer other trunk-flexion exercises. Reverse crunches change the moving end of the body.

The original lifts the torso from the floor to upright, with hip flexors contributing as it rises. Partial torso curls and pelvic curls do not reproduce that full sit-up; reset the planned range and repetitions.

Anatomical illustration of a man performing a bent-knee bodyweight sit-up with feet planted and hands behind the head, with the abdominal and front-hip muscles highlighted.
What equipment can you use?

Choose everything you have. Some exercises need two items, such as dumbbells and a flat bench. Choose floor space for options without equipment.

Your replacements

Choose your equipment above to see replacements.

Compare all alternatives

These options need different equipment. Use the finder above to show only the setups you can use.

  • Anatomical illustration of a bodyweight floor crunch in two frames, side by side on a white background. Left: a woman lies on her back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor, both arms stretched straight out overhead behind her head. Right: the same woman at the top of the rep, head and shoulder blades curled off the floor and the lower back still down, arms still straight and reaching up past her ears. No equipment is shown. The muscles of the front of the abdomen, running from the ribs down to the waistband, are highlighted in red in both frames; the rest of the musculature is drawn in grey.

    Different movement

    Crunch

    You need: Floor space (no equipment)

    Why it fits
    Offers a floor-based torso curl.
    What changes
    Curl only until the shoulder blades lift, keeping the lower back down. Follow the written fingertips-behind-ears setup; the picture shows straight overhead arms. This is a partial curl rather than a rise to upright.
    See exercise guide
  • Anatomical illustration of a man performing a seated crunch against a padded selectorized machine in two frames, with the abdominal muscles highlighted.

    Different movement

    Machine crunch

    You need: Seated abdominal crunch machine

    Why it fits
    Offers trunk flexion against machine resistance.
    What changes
    Set the seat and pads as the linked guide describes. A guided resisted curl replaces the full floor-to-upright movement; choose the machine load separately.
    See exercise guide
  • Two-frame side-view illustration of a man lying on his back with bent knees, then curling his pelvis so his hips lift and his knees travel toward his chest, with the abdominal wall highlighted.

    Different movement

    Reverse crunch

    You need: Floor space (no equipment)

    Why it fits
    Offers controlled floor-based movement of the pelvis.
    What changes
    Keep the knees near right angles and roll the pelvis toward the ribs with a small lift. The pelvis moves instead of raising the torso toward the thighs.
    See exercise guide
See the original exercise guide

How we choose replacements

These are curated alternatives, chosen for the movement and the job the exercise does in a workout. A shared muscle group is not enough. Read what changes before choosing: support, range of motion, balance and resistance can all differ. If your goal is to improve a specific lift, alternatives do not replace practice of that lift.

Explore alternatives by exercise