Cable Crunch
Primary Muscle Group: Abdominals
Secondary Muscle Group: Obliques
Equipment Needed: Cable Machine, Rope Attachment
The Benefits of Cable Crunch
The kneeling cable crunch is a popular core isolation exercise using a rope attachment and cable stack while kneeling on the floor. It primarily targets the rectus abdominis or six pack muscles, but also strengthens the deep core muscles. It is most commonly performed early in an ab workout, usually in moderate to high reps, such as 8-12 reps per set or higher.
The Cable Crunch is a great way to load the abs with weight that can be tracked and increased over time. Using weighted ab training can increase core definition in addition to strength. This exercise also gives you a greater range of motion than a traditional sit-up or crunch.
If you are looking for other exercises that are the best for building muscle or wanting to lose body fat then you should check our Free Workout Plan or our Workout Plans With Coaching for professionally designed workout plans that have been proven to get results.
The Risks of doing Cable Crunch
When doing the Cable Crunch, it’s important to control the weight correctly and make sure you are comfortable with the exercise before adding heavy weight. You hold rope attachment behind your head which could lead to injury if not controlled in the correctly. We suggest that you do this exercise with very low weight to start with and gradually increase it over time
How To Do Cable Crunch
1. Grasp a set of dumbbells. Stand straight up with one dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in.
2. Keep your feet firmly on the floor with a shoulder width stance.
3. Keeping your back straight and your eyes facing forwards, bend down to the right as far as you can, then back up again.
4. Without pausing at the top, bend down to the left.
5. Repeat for desired reps.
For Perfect Technique
This exercise works best when done slowly with perfect form.
Your glutes should stay touching your heels at all times.
Focus on crunching the abs in, not pivoting at the hips.
As you increase weight it may be more comfortable to rest the rope on your shoulders.
Don't choose a weight so heavy that your lower back handles most of the resistance.
Variations
Once you have mastered the Cable Crunch exercise you can try alternative exercises that target similar muscle groups such as;
How To Do Lying Flutter Kicks
1. Start by lying on the ground on your back with your legs straight.
2. Engage your abdominal muscles and lift both your feet off the ground whilst keeping your knees slightly bent.
3. Alternate between bringing your legs up and down as per video demonstration and illustration.
How To Do Russian Twists
1. Sit in an upright position with your feet out in front of you.
2. Elongate and straighten your spine at a 45-degree angle from the floor, creating a V shape with your torso and your legs.
3. Reach your arms straight out in front, interlacing your fingers or clasping your hands together.
4. Use your abdominals to twist to the right, then back to centre, and then to the left.