Cable Crunch

Equipment: Cable

New to this

Your first cable crunch

What weight should I start with on the cable crunch?

Start at 30 to 40 lb. You need enough weight to anchor your upper body, so going too light makes the movement awkward. You have it right if you can round your spine and reach your elbows toward your knees without your hips moving.

What usually goes wrong on the cable crunch?

Set a rope on the high pulley and kneel a couple of feet back from the stack.

Hold the rope beside your ears and hinge slightly forward to load the cable.

Crunch by rounding your spine and bringing your ribs toward your hips.

Return slowly until you feel your abs stretch, keeping tension the whole time.

You should feel this in the abs. Hip flexor or lower back work means you bent at the hips.

Most common mistake: pulling with the arms and rocking at the hips. Your hands stay glued beside your head and your hips stay still. Only your spine moves.

If the cable tower is busy

The Russian Twist is bodyweight ab work that adds rotation.

The Hanging Leg Raise trains the lower abs from the other end.

How to do it

Kneel below a high pulley that contains a rope attachment.
Grasp cable rope attachment and lower the rope until your hands are placed next to your face.
Flex your hips slightly and allow the weight to hyperextend the lower back. This will be your starting position.
With the hips stationary, flex the waist as you contract the abs so that the elbows travel towards the middle of the thighs. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement and hold the contraction for a second.
Slowly return to the starting position as you inhale.
Tip: Make sure that you keep constant tension on the abs throughout the movement. Also, do not choose a weight so heavy that the lower back handles the brunt of the work.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.