Fact checked by Nick Blackmer
Why this matters: Planks are better for overall core strength, while crunches have an edge for ab definition.
What you can do: Focus on one exercise depending on your goals, or add both to your routine.
The payoff: Beyond aesthetics, building a stronger core can improve your balance, stability, and everyday movement.
Planks and crunches are both classic core exercises, but is one of them superior? Here’s how they compare for ab strength and definition.
Which Is Better for Core Strength?
When it comes to building strength, experts agree that planks take the win.
Planks require you to contract your core and glutes to hold a static position, activating “the entire core from every angle,” Noam Tamir, CSCS, founder and CEO of TS Fitness in New York City, told HEALTH. That includes your transverse abdominis, the deepest layer of your abs.
Meanwhile, crunches—which involve bending your spine forward—work the hip flexors, lower back, and parts of the abs, including the transverse abdominis and obliques (the muscles on each side of your abdomen), Tamir said.
The key difference is that crunches mainly target the rectus abdominis (the classic “six-pack”) muscle. Unlike planks, “crunches mostly focus on the surface-level abs,” he explained.
Which Is Better for Ab Definition?
Experts said crunches are more likely to deliver a defined six-pack than planks, especially when paired with weights.
“Repeated spinal flexion creates direct tension and mechanical loading on this muscle, stimulating growth,” Or Artzi, CPT, a lead group fitness instructor at Equinox and creator of the fitness platform Orriors, told HEALTH.
That’s not the case with planks, which involve muscle contraction but no movement, Tamir added.
Artizi also noted that proper nutrition plays just as important a role in getting chiseled abs as targeted exercise does.
How to Get the Most Out of Both Exercises
Instead of choosing, experts said it’s best to incorporate both exercises into your workout routine. “If tolerated without discomfort, [crunches] complement planks,” Artzi said.
How to do a crunch:
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat.
Place your hands across your chest or behind your head.
Engage your core, and lift your head, neck, and shoulders, keeping your lower back on the floor.
Make it easier: Lift less, or put your hands behind your glutes for more leverage.
Make it harder: Add a stability ball or try variations like decline crunches or captain’s chair crunches.
How to do a plank:
Start on your hands and knees, with your wrists under your shoulders.
Step your feet back to form a straight line from your shoulders to your heels, while activating your abs.
Make it easier: Keep your knees on the ground.
Make it harder: Try variations like side planks, weighted planks, walking planks, or lifting one arm and/or leg at a time.
Read the original article on Health