How to do it
- Kneel facing a high pulley with a rope held beside your head.
- Crunch down by rounding the spine and bringing the elbows towards the thighs.
- Return slowly, resisting the stretch at the top.
Cues that matter
- Round the spine deliberately — this is spinal flexion, not a hip hinge.
- Keep the hips fixed the whole set.
Common mistakes
- Hinging at the hips instead of flexing the spine.
- Pulling with the arms and lats.
Muscles worked
Primary
- Abs & Core
- Upper abs
Also works
- Obliques
Sets and reps
What to do with it depends on what you are training for. These are the ranges MuscleMap uses when it puts Cable Crunch in a session, with 75 seconds between sets.
- Strength
- 6–8 reps
- Build muscle
- 10–15 reps
- Endurance
- 15–25 reps
Same muscle, different kit
Movements that train the same part of the abs & core with different equipment — for a day the cable is taken, or a gym that does not have one.