Kneeling Cable Crunch

Equipment

Gym Equipment Needed

Muscle Group

Core

Setup

Attach a rope to a high pulley on a cable machine. Select a weight you can control without yanking or pulling through your hips. Place a mat or pad on the floor and kneel facing the machine with enough distance to keep constant tension through the movement.

Starting Position

Kneel with knees about hip-width apart and sit your hips slightly back for stability. Hold the rope ends near the sides of your head (by your temples/ears) with elbows bent and pointing down. Brace your core and keep your ribs down—start tall with a neutral spine and tension on the cable. Your hands stay in place; your torso is what moves.

Execution

Inhale and brace. Crunch by flexing your spine, bringing your ribs down toward your pelvis and curling your torso forward. Keep your hips relatively still—this should be an ab movement, not a hip hinge. Continue until your elbows move toward your thighs and you feel a strong contraction in your abs. Exhale as you crunch, pause briefly at the bottom, then slowly return to the starting position under control, keeping tension and not letting the weight stack slam. Repeat for the desired reps.

Tips on doing this exercise

Think “ribs to hips”—your torso curls; your hips stay quiet.

Keep the rope by your head; don’t pull it down with your arms.

Use a slow return (2–3 seconds) to keep tension on the abs.

If you feel it in your hip flexors or lats, reduce weight and focus on spinal flexion.

Stop each set before you start yanking reps—clean reps build better abs.

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Common Mistakes

Hip hinging or sitting back too much (turns it into a lat/hip movement)

Pulling with the arms instead of curling through the torso

Letting the rope drift away from the head or elbows flaring out

Using momentum and bouncing through reps

Arching the low back at the top instead of maintaining rib control

Using too much weight and shortening range of motion

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Recommended Ranges

Hypertrophy/abs focus: 3–5 sets of 10–15 reps (controlled, full range)

Core endurance: 2–4 sets of 12–20 reps (lighter, constant tension)

Strength emphasis: 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps (moderate-heavy, strict form)
Rest 45–75 seconds between sets.

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