Plural of crunch; exercise movements where you sit up partially while lying on your back, or the crisp sound made when biting something hard.
From the onomatopoeia 'crunch,' imitating the sound of biting hard food. As an exercise term, it's a modern coinage from the mid-20th century fitness industry.
The word 'crunch' is onomatopoeia—it literally sounds like what it means—and when exercise scientists needed a name for core workouts that felt intense and quick, 'crunches' was perfect because the word itself feels punchy!
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