Basic
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abdominal Crunch | 4 | 10 | 45 s |
To unlock the next level in a single set
- 15 Abdominal Crunch
Pro program
50 crunches in a row: a 4-level ab routine for home
The crunch is the core exercise easiest to do badly and easiest to count badly. This program climbs from 4 sets of 10 to 4 sets of 30, with marks of 15, 25, 35 and 50 in a row, and every rep is judged by the same standard because the camera measures it.
The 4 levels, exercise by exercise
The mark is your best set, not the day's total. With an exercise as quick as the crunch it's easy to rack up a hundred scattered reps without coming close to fifty in a row, which is a different thing entirely.
Medium
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abdominal Crunch | 4 | 15 | 45 s |
To unlock the next level in a single set
- 25 Abdominal Crunch
High
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abdominal Crunch | 5 | 20 | 1 min |
To unlock the next level in a single set
- 35 Abdominal Crunch
Advanced
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abdominal Crunch | 4 | 30 | 1 min |
To complete the program in a single set
- 50 Abdominal Crunch
All four levels are laid out on this page. Inside the app, levels two and up are part of Tatakae Pro.
The exercise easiest to do badly
Almost everyone has done hundreds of crunches, and almost nobody has counted them by the same standard two days running. You start with full range, fatigue shows up, the range shortens, and the last fifteen are a different movement that no longer trains the same thing.
That’s where camera counting earns its keep: a rep is valid when your shoulder blades leave the floor, today and in two months. Which is why the first time you use the app, the number is likely to come out lower than you believed.
What this program does, and what it doesn’t
It makes your abs hold more consecutive reps with good form. That’s endurance of the rectus abdominis, and it pays off in better posture and in your core no longer being the weak link during push-ups, planks or squats.
What it doesn’t do is give you visible abs. Abs show when body fat drops, and that depends on what you eat, not on how many crunches you do. Any program promising otherwise is selling something.
The form, and why the short range is correct
Lie down, knees bent, feet planted.
Hands on your chest or at your temples, without pulling on your neck. If you feel your neck, cross your arms over your chest.
Peel your shoulder blades off the floor by bringing your ribs towards your hips. That’s the whole range. Your lower back never lifts off the floor.
Lower under control, without dropping back down.
Coming up higher doesn’t work the abs harder. Past the point where the lower back lifts, the hip flexors take over, and in sets of thirty that ends in a sore lower back.
How the volume climbs
40, 60, 100 and 120 reps per session. Notice the Advanced level has fewer sets than High, but of thirty reps each: the end goal is fifty in a row, so the last stretch has to train the long set, not the total.
Rests are short, 45 to 60 seconds, because the abs recover quickly and because accumulated fatigue is part of the stimulus here.
Where to put your phone
Side on, on the floor, at torso height, with your head and hips inside the frame. This is the exercise that depends most on the side angle: from the front there’s no way to tell a full crunch from a half one.
Two metres of distance is enough, and it helps if your mat contrasts with your clothes so your outline reads clearly.
Frequently asked questions
How many crunches should I do a day?
Fewer than usually claimed, and done better. This program starts at 40 reps per session and ends at 120, three times a week. Endless sets of half crunches train the hip flexors more than the abs.
Do crunches burn belly fat?
No. Fat isn't lost by area, so the crunch strengthens the abs but doesn't decide whether they show. That's decided by a sustained calorie deficit. The exercise helps the whole, but it doesn't do what most videos promise.
Crunch or full sit-up?
The crunch, for this goal. In a full sit-up most of the range is driven by the hip flexors rather than the abs, and at high volume it tends to load the lower back. In a crunch, the lower back never leaves the floor.
Why does my neck hurt during crunches?
Because you're pulling your head with your hands. Hands at the temples go along for the ride, they don't pull. Try crossing them over your chest for a couple of weeks: the neck stops hurting and the abs work just the same.
How often should I train abs?
Three sessions a week is plenty. Your core also works during push-ups, squats and planks, so it doesn't need the daily volume usually recommended.
How does the camera know a rep is valid?
It watches your torso's range from the side. If your shoulder blades don't leave the floor, it doesn't count. That constant standard is what makes a mark of 50 mean the same thing today and two months from now.