Cable Crunch
Kneel facing a high cable with the rope held by your temples or just behind your head. Keep the hips mostly still and flex through the spine, bringing your ribs toward your pelvis instead of pulling with the arms. Pause in the crunch, then return slowly to the start.
Muscles worked
Primary
Equipment
How to do it
- Set a rope on a high cable and kneel facing the stack at arm's length.
- Hold the rope alongside the temples or just behind the head with the elbows fixed.
- Brace the core and curl the rib cage toward the pelvis through pure spinal flexion.
- Keep the hips quiet and the elbows fixed throughout the rep.
- Pause briefly at the bottom with the abs fully shortened.
- Return under control until the abs are stretched at the top, then repeat.
Watch for
- Pulling the rope with the arms instead of curling the spine.
- Sitting back into the hips to drag the weight down.
- Letting the elbows drift away from the head.
Breathing
Exhale as you crunch down, inhale as you return.
Tip
Set the cable so it pulls along the line of the spine. The weight should challenge spinal flexion, not arm strength.
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