Twisting Crunch Shin Touch
Twisting Crunch Shin Touch Exercise Description
The Twisting Crunch Shin Touch is a bodyweight trunk-flexion-with-rotation drill that emphasizes the rectus abdominis and the external and internal obliques. You’ll lift the shoulder blades off the floor and rotate the thorax to reach across toward the opposite shin, keeping the pelvis in a slight posterior tilt to minimize hip-flexor dominance. Performing the movement with the legs in tabletop (hips and knees at 90 degrees, shins parallel to the floor) promotes a consistent range and trunk-driven rotation rather than pulling from the neck or hips. The focus is on controlled spinal flexion through the ribcage with smooth, segmental motion and a stable lumbar position. Breathe rhythmically—exhale as you reach and rotate, inhale as you return—to maintain core tension and movement control.
- Muscle Groups: Abs, Obliques, Waist
- Target Muscles: External Obliques, Internal Obliques
- Assisting Muscles: Rectus Abdominis
- Stabilizing Muscles: Iliacus, Multifidus, Psoas Major, Transversus Abdominis
- Body Area: Upper Body
- Body Parts: Core
- Body Surface: Side
- Body Symmetry: Unilateral
- Equipment: Bodyweight
- Exercise Patterns: Other
- Exercise Type: Strength
- Functional Grouping: Trunk Lateral Flexors, Trunk Rotators
- Joint Involvement: Single-joint
- Muscle Location: Deep Side Abs, Side Abs
- Movement Direction: Rotational
- Muscle Position: Lateral
- Gender: Male
How To Do The Twisting Crunch Shin Touch Exercise
‘- Lie on your back; raise hips and knees to 90/90 so shins are parallel to the floor (tabletop).
– Lightly posteriorly tilt the pelvis to “zip” ribs toward pelvis; low back gently contacts the floor.
– Reach both arms straight up; set shoulders down and away from ears; chin slightly tucked.
– Brace the abdomen; think 360-degree tension without holding your breath.
– Lift head and shoulder blades by drawing ribs toward pelvis; rotate through your upper trunk to the left.
– Reach the right hand toward the outside of the left shin; keep the left arm reaching upward.
– Keep knees stacked over hips; do not pull knees toward the chest or swing the legs.
– Maintain a long neck; keep gaze between the knees; avoid pulling on the head.
– Lower the shoulder blades back to the start with control, maintaining pelvic position.
– Repeat to the opposite side, alternating reaches.
– Use a small, smooth range—just enough to clear the shoulder blades—and rotate through the ribcage, not the hips.
Twisting Crunch Shin Touch Tips
‘- Set your legs in tabletop with hips and knees at 90/90 so shins stay parallel to the floor.
– Lightly posteriorly tilt the pelvis to “zip” ribs toward pelvis so the low back gently contacts the floor.
– Reach both arms straight up with shoulders set down and away from your ears and the chin slightly tucked.
– Brace the abdomen with 360-degree tension without holding your breath.
– Exhale as you lift the head and shoulder blades and reach/rotate; inhale as you return to the start.
– Lift by drawing the ribs toward the pelvis to clear the shoulder blades rather than pulling from the neck.
– Rotate through your upper trunk to reach the opposite shin while keeping the other arm reaching upward.
– Keep the knees stacked over the hips and avoid pulling them toward the chest or swinging the legs.
– Maintain a long neck with your gaze between the knees to avoid pulling on the head.
– Use a small, smooth range—just enough to clear the shoulder blades—and rotate through the ribcage, not the hips.
Twisting Crunch Shin Touch Beginner Introduction
The Twisting Crunch Shin Touch is a bodyweight core move that blends a small curl with a gentle twist to challenge both the abs and side abs. The action centers on lifting the upper back away from the floor and turning the ribcage so one hand reaches toward the opposite shin. With the legs held in a bent, raised “tabletop” position—hips and knees at right angles and shins level with the ground—the movement places the work on the mid-section rather than relying heavily on the hips or neck.
This exercise highlights smooth, controlled motion through the ribcage while the lower back stays steady against the floor. The arms and gaze help guide the direction of the twist, while the legs remain quiet and stacked over the hips for consistency from rep to rep. A steady breathing pattern—breathing out on the reach and rotation, then in on the return—supports tension through the core and encourages deliberate, precise movement instead of momentum.