Abs exercise
Cable CrunchHow to do it, with form in numbers
How to do it
How do you do the Cable Crunch?
- Kneel facing a high pulley and hold the rope ends beside your head.
- Lean forward slightly with your hips above your knees.
- Breathe out and curl your ribs towards your hips, bringing your elbows towards your thighs.
- Pause, then uncurl slowly until your back is long again.
Cues
- Hips stay still; curl your spine.
- Hands stay by your head.
- Ribs towards hips.
Common mistakes
- Sitting back towards your heels: keep your thighs upright.
- Pulling with your arms: lock your hands beside your head.
- Going too heavy: pick a weight you can curl slowly.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Kneeling cable crunch facing the stack, rope on the highest pulley, rope ends held beside the temples. ACE describes the standing version with the same set-up and hand position; the kneeling version is the most common in gyms. Hands beside the head, not behind the neck.
Starting position
Kneeling on a mat about 50 cm from the stack (sources: 30–60 cm), knees hip-width apart, shins flat, thighs vertical. One rope end in each hand, wrists against the sides of the head, elbows bent and pointing down in front of the face. Hips flexed so the trunk leans forward about 30° from vertical; the rope pulls the upper body up so the spine is long and slightly arched (mild stretch).
The movement
Keeping the hips fixed, curl the spine down: ribcage towards the pelvis, upper back rounding, until the elbows reach the middle of the thighs. Hold briefly, then let the rope pull the spine slowly back to long. The hands stay pinned beside the head (the arms do not pull); the thighs stay vertical and the hips do not sit back towards the heels. The head moves down and slightly back towards the knees in an arc as the spine flexes.
Breathing
Breathe out as you curl down, in as you return.
Tempo
1.5 s down (crunch), 1 s hold, 2 s up (4.5 s).
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- End: elbows 5–10 cm above the middle of the thighs; upper back rounded.
- Hand-to-head contact and elbow angle unchanged throughout.
- Space of about a fist between chin and chest throughout (neck neutral).
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Cable Crunch is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
