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V-Up

A full-body crunch that brings the torso and legs together simultaneously, forming a V shape at the top.

Setup

Lie flat on your back, arms extended overhead. Legs extended straight on the floor.

Movement

Lift your legs and torso simultaneously. Reach your hands toward your feet, forming a V shape with your body at the top. Touch your hands near your shins or ankles if possible. Full range isn't required immediately — work toward it as flexibility and strength improve.

Return

Lower with control. Return to the starting position smoothly rather than dropping quickly.

Common Mistake to Avoid

Using momentum to swing up. A controlled lift trains the abs more effectively than a fast, jerky motion.

Equipment None (bodyweight)
Primary Muscles Abs (rectus abdominis)
Secondary Muscles Hip flexors

Why it matters

By lifting both the upper body and legs at the same time, the V-up demands more total core engagement than a standard crunch, which only moves the upper body. It's a useful intermediate step in ab training difficulty, between basic crunches and more advanced movements like the ab wheel rollout.

How to do it

  1. Lie flat on your back, arms extended overhead. Legs extended straight on the floor.
  2. Lift your legs and torso simultaneously. Reach your hands toward your feet, forming a V shape with your body at the top.
  3. Touch your hands near your shins or ankles if possible. Full range isn't required immediately — work toward it as flexibility and strength improve.
  4. Lower with control. Return to the starting position smoothly rather than dropping quickly.

Common mistakes

  • Using momentum to swing up. A controlled lift trains the abs more effectively than a fast, jerky motion.
  • Bending the knees significantly to make the movement easier. Some bend is fine for beginners working toward the full version, but excessive bending reduces the exercise's intensity.
  • Only lifting the legs or only the torso. The V-up's value comes from lifting both simultaneously — doing just one turns it into a different exercise.
  • Rushing through reps to complete more. Quality, controlled reps build more real strength than fast, sloppy ones.

Sets & reps by level

Beginner

3 sets of 6–8 reps, with bent knees if needed to manage the difficulty.

Intermediate

3–4 sets of 10–12 reps with straight legs.

Advanced

4 sets of 12–15 reps, or add a slow tempo to increase time under tension.

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