CaloSign inCrunch and sit-up alternatives
Crunches and sit-ups can strain the neck and lower back, and they are not the only way to train your abs. These alternatives work the same muscles lying down, hanging or on a machine.
No equipment 4
Toe taps
On your back, knees bent at 90 degrees, lower one foot to tap the floor, head and low back stay down.
Start with 2 × 10 total, build to 3 × 12 total.
Works: core
Tempo: 2s each way
Dead bug
Low back stays flat to the floor.
Start with 2 × 10 total, build to 3 × 12 total.
Works: core, with the obliques
Tempo: 2s each way
Pelvic tilt
Stand with the back against a wall, gently flatten the low back into it, then release.
Start with 2 × 10, build to 3 × 12.
Works: core, with the glutes
Tempo: 2s each way
Seated march
Sit tall at the front of a chair, brace, lift one knee at a time.
Start with 2 × 10 total, build to 3 × 12 total.
Works: core, with the quads
Tempo: 2s each way
At the gym 2
Hanging knee raise
Hang still, curl the knees up toward the chest, lower without swinging.
Start with 2 × 10, build to 3 × 12.
Works: core, with the lats and shoulders
Tempo: 2s each way
Skip with lower-back pain, shoulder pain or neck pain.
Ab crunch machine
Light weight, curl the ribs toward the hips, exhale as you crunch.
Start with 2 × 10, build to 3 × 12.
Works: core
Tempo: 2s each way
Skip with lower-back pain or neck pain.
If something hurts
- With lower-back pain: Toe taps, Dead bug, Pelvic tilt, Seated march.
- With shoulder pain: Toe taps, Dead bug, Pelvic tilt, Seated march.
- With neck pain: Toe taps, Dead bug, Pelvic tilt, Seated march.
Start with the easier number and build up over a couple of weeks. Stop if something hurts, and ask a doctor or physiotherapist about pain that stays - this is general guidance, not medical advice.
Let the app do the swapping
CaloDaily plans your week of workouts around what you have - home or gym, dumbbells or none - and any joints to go easy on. Tap a move you can't do and it offers these same swaps, with the reps adjusted. Pair it with the calories burned calculator to see what a session is worth.
More exercise alternatives
Workouts planned around you, free
CaloDaily shows what is left to eat and to move, plans meals from your own pantry and builds workouts that fit you. No wearable needed, no ads.
