Standing Rope Crunch

Also called standing cable crunch and standing rope crunch.

Works

Abs

Equipment

Cable

Level

Beginner

Type

Isolation

How to do it

Setup. Attach a rope to a high pulley and select an appropriate weight.

1. Stand with your back to the cable tower. Take the rope with both hands over your shoulders, holding it to your upper chest. This will be your starting position.
2. Perform the movement by flexing the spine, crunching the weight down as far as you can.
3. Hold the peak contraction for a moment before returning to the starting position.

Cues

• Back to the stack, rope at chest.
• Curl the ribs toward the hips.
• Hips stay still.
• Pause 1 second, return slowly.

Common mistakes

• Bending at the hips.
• Pulling with the arms.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have a cranky lower back. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

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