Stop Crunches! 3 Core Exercises That Actually Work
Sep 23, 2025Are Crunches and Sit-Ups Hurting Your Back? Here's What to Do Instead
Let me ask you something. If you've been dealing with back pain for any length of time, chances are someone — a doctor, a trainer, a well-meaning friend — has told you to 'strengthen your core.' And if you went looking for how to do that, you probably landed on crunches and sit-ups. They're everywhere. They're the default.
Here's the thing, though: for a lot of people with back pain — maybe even most — crunches and sit-ups aren't helping. They might actually be making things worse. And if you've been faithfully doing them, wondering why your back still hurts, that could be a big piece of the puzzle.
Let's talk about why that is, and more importantly, what you can do instead — because there absolutely are exercises that work. You just haven't been told about the right ones.
First, Let's Talk About What Your Core Actually Is
Most people hear 'core' and think six-pack abs. That's understandable — it's what gets all the attention. But your core is a whole system, and the abs you can see in the mirror are just one small part of it.
Your real core includes your deep stabilizing muscles, your obliques (the muscles on the sides of your trunk), your back muscles, and even your hips. All of these work together for one primary purpose: to stabilize your spine. Not to bend it forward repeatedly — to hold it steady while the rest of your body does things like walk, lift, reach, and carry.
That distinction matters a lot. When your core isn't doing its stabilizing job well, your spine has to absorb extra stress with every movement. Over time, that stress shows up as pain, stiffness, and injury. So if you want a core that actually protects your back, you need exercises that train it to stabilize — not just exercises that make your abs burn.
Why Crunches and Sit-Ups Fall Short (and Can Actually Cause Harm)
Here's the mechanical problem with crunches and sit-ups: both exercises work by repeatedly flexing your spine. Every rep, you're curling your lower back forward, putting direct pressure on the discs between your vertebrae. If you're doing sets of 20 or 30, that's a lot of compression on structures that are already stressed.
For someone who doesn't have back issues, that may not cause immediate problems. But if you're already dealing with back pain — a bulging disc, degenerative disc disease, sciatica, stenosis, or general lower back aches — that repeated spinal flexion is like poking a bruise. You're loading the very area you're trying to protect.
And even if they don't cause pain right away, crunches and sit-ups are teaching your core the wrong skill. They train your abs to bend your spine — but in real life, what your back needs is for your core to hold your spine steady while you bend at the hips, pick something up off the floor, carry your grandkids, or stand for two hours at a family gathering. Those are stability demands, not flexion demands. Crunches don't prepare you for that.
This is why so many people feel like they have a weak core even though they've been doing 'core exercises' for years. They've been training the wrong thing.
The Better Approach: Stability Over Flexion
The good news is that you don't need elaborate equipment, a gym membership, or a long workout to build a core that actually supports your spine. What you need is a shift in focus — from bending exercises to stabilizing exercises. And there are three foundational movements that do this really well.
Before you try any of them, though, there's something you need to learn first: how to engage your deep core muscles. This is called the abdominal hollow, and it's the foundation that makes every one of these exercises more effective and safer. Without it, you're just going through the motions. With it, you're actually teaching your core to do its job. I'll link to a video showing you exactly how in the description, so make sure you watch that before you start.
Exercise #1: The Back Bridge
The back bridge is simple, effective, and one of the best things you can do for your lower back. Here's how it works: lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Then lift your hips up until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
At the top of the movement, squeeze your glutes — really focus on feeling it there. That's the point. When your glutes and hamstrings are doing the work, your lower back gets a break. This is important because a lot of back pain comes partly from the lower back overworking to compensate for weak glutes. The bridge addresses that directly.
You have two options for how to do it. You can hold the position for 30 to 60 seconds, which builds endurance in the muscles that support your spine. Or you can do repetitions — 5 to 10 reps, holding each one for 5 to 10 seconds before lowering back down. Either way works. Choose whichever feels more manageable and build from there.
If lifting your hips that high is uncomfortable right now, don't force it. Just lift as far as feels okay and work from there. The goal is to find a position where you can feel your glutes working without straining your back — not to push through pain.
Exercise #2: The Side Bridge (Side Plank)
The side bridge — sometimes called a side plank — works the muscles on the sides of your trunk, your obliques and deep stabilizers. These are the muscles that prevent your spine from twisting and tipping sideways when you carry something, reach across your body, or make any kind of rotational movement. They're often underdeveloped, and that's a real problem for long-term spinal health.
To do it: lie on your side and prop yourself up on your forearm, with your elbow directly under your shoulder. Then lift your hips so your body forms a straight line from your head to your feet. Hold that position, breathing normally, and then switch sides.
If that's too difficult right now, here's a modification that makes it much more manageable: instead of keeping your legs straight, bend your knees. You'll push up from your knees rather than your feet, which reduces how much body weight you're supporting and gives you better balance. This is not a 'lesser' version — it's just the right starting point for where you are today.
Like the back bridge, you can hold it for 30 to 60 seconds per side, or do 5 to 10 reps with shorter holds. Do both sides every time.
Exercise #3: The Plank
The plank trains your entire core — front, back, and sides — to work together as a unit, which is exactly what it needs to do in real life. It also builds the kind of endurance that protects your spine during sustained activities like walking, standing, or carrying things for an extended period of time.
The classic version: rest on your forearms and toes, keeping your body in one straight line from your head to your heels. Don't let your hips sag or push up toward the ceiling — the straight line is what activates everything.
If that position is too hard to hold with good form, raise the angle. You can prop yourself on your hands instead of your forearms (like a push-up position), or rest your forearms on a raised surface like a bench or countertop. The more inclined your body is, the easier it becomes. Start wherever you can maintain a straight line and hold it for 20 seconds. That's your baseline. Work up gradually to 60 seconds as you get stronger.
20 seconds with great form is worth far more than 60 seconds where you're holding your breath and your hips are drooping. Quality over time, always.
What This Actually Means for Your Back Pain
Here's what I want you to take away from all of this. If you've been doing crunches and sit-ups trying to fix your back and it hasn't been working, that's not a failure on your part. You were doing what you were told, and what you were told wasn't quite right. That's incredibly common, and it's frustrating — especially when you've already been through the cycle of trying things, hoping for results, and not getting them.
But the fact that there's a better approach is actually good news. These three exercises — the back bridge, the side bridge, and the plank — train your core to do what it's actually supposed to do: support and protect your spine during real life. Not just make your abs burn during a workout.
And when your core starts doing that job properly, a lot of things shift. Movements that used to cause flare-ups become less threatening. Everyday tasks — picking something up, standing for a while, walking farther than you have in months — feel more manageable. The body you've been fighting against starts to feel a little more like yours again.
That's not hype. That's just what happens when you train the right muscles in the right way.
Start with whichever of the three exercises feels most accessible to you right now. Do it consistently. Watch the abdominal hollow video first so you're engaging the right muscles from the beginning. And give it some time — this isn't a two-week fix. It's building a foundation that will actually hold.
If you want to go deeper — to understand how your posture and spinal health are affecting how you feel day to day, and what a real path forward looks like for your specific situation — click the first link in the description to get a Posture and Mobility Assessment. It doesn't matter where you are in the world. We can work with you.
You don't have to keep living around your pain. Let's figure out what's actually going on and build from there.
As always, Be Your Own Guarantee for your health and life.
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