Cocoon Crunch
The Cocoon Crunch is a comprehensive bodyweight core exercise that targets the entire abdominal wall by simultaneously curling the upper body and knees toward the center. It effectively engages both the upper and lower abs while teaching the user to control spinal flexion and extension.
Iridium analyzes sub-muscle-group fatigue to verify your hip flexors are recovered enough from recent leg work to allow your abdominals to be the limiting factor. As a bodyweight-only exercise, the system tracks your performance relative to your current body weight and uses RPE trends to detect when rep targets need to increase for continued progressive overload.
Form Cues
- Exhale deeply as you bring your knees and elbows together
- Press your lower back firmly into the floor during the extension
- Move slowly to eliminate momentum
- Squeeze your abs hard at the top of the 'cocoon' position
- Keep your chin tucked slightly to protect your neck
- Don't pull on your head or neck with your hands
- Don't let your lower back arch off the floor when extending legs
- Don't swing your legs to generate force
- Don't hold your breath during the contraction
- Don't let your feet touch the ground between reps unless necessary
Common Mistakes
- Arching the lower back on extension
- Pulling the neck forward
- Using hip momentum to swing up
- Incomplete range of motion
- Rushing the negative phase
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the rectus abdominis, effectively engaging both the upper and lower fibers by bringing the rib cage and pelvis together simultaneously. The hip flexors assist in the movement as you draw your knees in, while the deep transverse abdominis works to stabilize the spine against the floor.
Primary
Secondary
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