The kneeling cable crunch is a very effective isolation exercise for the abdominal and core muscles. It’s a great movement for beginners and advanced lifers since you can choose the resistance to work with during the exercise.
Now, it’s important to have proper form during the kneeling cable crunch as you don’t want to overextend the core muscles, especially if they’re not warmed up properly. This can cause discomfort below the belly button and it’s not fun when this happens.
Include this exercise in your ab routine as it’s a great muscle and strength builder.
In this Exercise
- Target Muscle Group: Rectus abdominis
- Type: Strength
- Mechanics: Isolation
- Equipment: Cable machine
- Difficulty: Beginner
Exercise Instructions
- Attach a double-grip rope to the highest slot on a cable pulley machine.
- Lay a mat on the floor if you don’t want your knees on the bare floor.
- Now, kneel down on your knees, so they’re about three feet from the cable machine.
- Grab the handles on the rope.
- Keep your back straight and core tight.
- Then perform a crunch by bending your torso and head all the way down to the floor while holding the rope handles on each side of your head.
- Slowly lift your head and torso back up to just below the starting position but do not allow your torso to become erect.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Variations & Tips
- Always go slow during the movement to keep tension on the abs.
- Avoid allowing your torso to become erect on the negative portion of the exercise to prevent overstretching the core muscles.
- Always keep the rope handles on each side of your head so you can perform the crunch with a full range of motion.
- The kneeling cable crunch works the abs and its associated muscles.
Watch: How to do the kneeling cable crunch