Standing cable crunch
- Attach a rope handle to a high cable pulley. Stand facing away from the machine, holding the rope ends behind your neck.
- Contract your abs to crunch your upper body forward and down, bringing your elbows toward your hips.
- Slowly return to the starting position with control.
Tips
- Keep the rope handles held firmly against the back of your neck throughout the set so that your arms stay fixed and the movement comes entirely from your torso.
- Round your upper back deliberately as you crunch forward, curling your ribcage toward your hips rather than simply hinging at the waist.
- Return to the starting position at a controlled pace, allowing the cable to guide your torso back up without losing the rounded position until the rep is complete.
Common mistakes
- Pulling the elbows down by extending the arms rather than crunching the torso, which turns the movement into an arm pull instead of an abdominal contraction.
- Hinging sharply at the hips and dropping the torso forward as one rigid unit instead of rounding through the spine.
- Allowing the torso to snap back to the starting position rather than returning with control, so the eccentric portion of the movement becomes uncontrolled.
Make Every Set Count.
Plan your workouts, track every session, and see your progress over time.
