This is one of my favorite ab exercises. I do it almost every time I’m at the gym. I know there’s thousands of ab exercises out there, but this one really works.

The difference between Cable Crunches and all those other types of crunches is the weight that is added to it. It’s actually more like resistance training because the weight is trying to hold you back. Try Cable Crunches by following the step-by-step instructions below.

How To Do Cable Crunches

Step 1
Attach a rope to an overhead pulley. Adjust the pulley so it hangs a couple feet above your head.

Step 2
Kneel down and grab the ends of the rope with your hands.
(refer to picture 1)

Choose a weight that you think you can crunch, but also one that won’t be too easy. Since I’m experienced at the cable crunch, I try to crunch the most weight I can, usually around 130 lbs or so.

Step 3
Slightly lean forward and pull the rope down to your ears like your pulling a winter cap over your head, but keep your hands locked in a position right behind your ears.

Step 4
Bend your body downward and in, bringing your elbows, hands and head to the ground. When you get to the ground, hold the crunch for one second, making sure your contracting every abdominal muscle.
(refer to picture 2)

Step 5
Slowly release your body back to the starting position. Stop when your upper body forms about a 45 angle. Make sure your keeping you hands (still holding the rope) locked behind your ears.

(photo from mensfitness.com)

The steps to doing Cable Crunches are easy, but they’re also very easy to mess up. Here are a few important tips that you should keep in mind when doing Cable Crunches.

Cable Crunch Tips

Tip #1
Make sure to keep your arms are locked in the same position during the entire exercise. If not, you will find your arms pulling most of the weight instead of your abs.

Tip #2
Keep you legs and knees still. If your legs are moving around, again you will find you arms doing most of the work. I prefer to cross my legs, making sure I lock them.

Tip #3
When doing Cable Crunches, make sure you’re breathing correctly. During your crunch, try a big exhale, especially if your lifting a lot weight. It will help you and your abdominal muscles perform better.

This ab exercise hits the core of your abdominal muscles extremely hard, so don’t be surprised when your hurting the next day (but that’s a good thing).

That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!

Tags: Ab Exercise, Abdominal Muscles, Abs, Cable Crunches, Crunches

This entry was posted on Friday, March 28th, 2008 at 11:47 and is filed under Cardio, Weight Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.