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Cable crunch

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Muscles worked

High load
Abs · Upper
Low load
Obliques

Primary muscles

Secondary muscles

How to do it

Kneel below a high pulley holding a rope beside the head, hips fixed and set back. Crunch by flexing the spine and bringing the elbows toward the thighs, exhaling hard at the bottom, then return under control. The hips stay in one place — if you start hinging at the hips, it becomes a lat pulldown and the abs stop working.

Form cues

  • Flex the spine, hips stay fixed
  • Exhale hard at the bottom

Safety

Talk to a professional before this exercise if you have any of the following:

Lower backNeck

This is general exercise reference, not medical advice. Stop and consult a qualified professional if an exercise causes pain, and never work through joint pain.