I made this simple tweak to my ab crunches, and immediately experienced less back pain and felt a huge difference in my core

a woman doing a crunch with her legs elevated — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

If your back hurts during crunches and sit-ups, you’ve landed in the right place. I’ve run six marathons, I spend my days sitting down behind a desk, and I suffer from sciatica — protecting my lower back is essential whenever I work my abs.

Like most runners, I also have extremely tight hip flexors and often find they’ll take over during ab exercises, reducing the effectiveness of the move. Luckily, I’ve found the perfect crunch hack to ensure I’m getting the most out of this simple bodyweight move. Read on to find out more.

As a reminder, what works for me might not be right for you and your body. If you’re a complete beginner, you’re pregnant or postpartum, or you’re currently exercising with an injury, it’s always best to seek personalized advice from a qualified professional.

What are elevated crunches and how do you do them?

As you might have guessed, elevated crunches involve elevating your feet, either by placing your legs in a tabletop position and pressing them into a wall or using a bench. This changes the position of your lower body during the crunch dramatically, helping you keep your lower back pressed into the floor and reducing any strain on your spine.

You’ll also probably find your deep core works much harder during this variation, as there’s less likelihood that your hip flexor muscles will take over.

a man doing an elevated crunch — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Here’s how to do elevated crunches with good form:

You’ll need something to elevate your legs onto. If you have no equipment to hand, you can always do the move near a wall and press your feet against the wall with your legs in a tabletop. Alternatively, use a chair, bench, or couch and rest your calves against the surface so your knees have a 90-degree bend.
Engage your core, thinking about sucking your belly button into your spine, or zipping your abs up and in, and squeezing your pelvic floor. There should be no gap between your lower back and the floor.
Place your hands lightly behind your head. Make sure they are just resting here and that you are not pulling on your neck.
Crunch your torso towards your legs, lifting your head, neck and shoulders off the floor. Keep your chin tucked and your gaze neutral to avoid putting any strain on your neck.
Hold for a few seconds at the top of the movement, squeezing your abs, then lower your upper body down to the floor.

Once you’ve mastered this move, for a real challenge, do an elevated crunch without resting your legs on a wall or bench. Keep your legs at 90 degrees in the air to really work on deep core stability, or extend your legs toward the ceiling to increase the load on your lower abs.

What are the benefits?

As mentioned above, if you spend a lot of time sitting down, you probably have tight hip flexors, and if you have tight hip flexors, they’ll often take over during exercises like crunches, helping you to lift your torso without actually using your core. Elevating your legs stops your hip flexors from being able to do this, forcing the six-pack muscles, or rectus abdominis, to do most of the work.

You’re also far less likely to feel this variation of crunch in your lower back, as your pelvis is naturally in a posterior tilt, helping you to really flatten your lower back against the mat. This makes this crunch variation safer for anyone who has suffered from back pain, but as always, check with your doctor first.

Finally, your lower abs and deep transverse abdominis will also be getting more of a workout with the elevated crunch, as they are engaged and working to hold your legs in the air. Your deep core is responsible for stabilizing your body, protecting your spine from injury, and improving your posture.

This small tweak can help you get a lot more out of your crunches, so what are you waiting for? Elevate those legs and give this one a try.

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Jane McGuire is Tom's Guide's Fitness Managing Editor, which means she looks after everything fitness-related - from running gear to yoga mats. An avid runner, Jane has tested and reviewed fitness products for the past ten years, so knows what to look for when finding a good running watch or a pair of shorts with pockets big enough for your smartphone.