Cable Crunch

The Cable Crunch is one of the many variations of crunches, including the Dragon and Thai Crunch, which you can do once you’ve mastered the basic crunch to tone the core and reduce stomach fat. In some ways it’s similar to a basic crunch, as it isolates the muscles and provides a focused contraction, and you can do it whether you’re a beginner or more advanced fitness enthusiast. However, that’s where the similarities end, because it’s a very different than other crunches that require no equipment.

To do the Cable Crunch correctly, you need a high pulley or lat pull down machine to perform a reverse crunching movement. During this particular crunch the user gets the core muscles to contract and release, but they use weighted resistance to make them work harder so that strength and tone are enhanced. Since you’ll need a lat pull down machine, this exercise is most often performed at the gym, unless you have one in your home gym.

Once you’ve decided that the Cable Crunch is for you, positioning is a very important part of getting the full benefits of this exercise. Make sure that the rope attachment is secured to the high pulley and set the stack weight. When that’s done, you can kneel underneath the pulley, grab the rope, one in each hand, and pull it down until the rope and your hands are in front of your face.

At this point you’re ready to begin slightly flexing your hips so that the weight in the stack can hyperextend your lower back, which is the starting point for this exercise. The hips stay motionless, while you exhale and begin bending the waist and contracting your abs, while you move your elbows toward your thighs, and then hold the contraction a second, release, and do it again.

This stomach fat workout was designed to build core strength and increase definition. While you’re performing the Cable Crunch, it’s important to keep the tension at a constant level. It’s only natural to want to get the best results fast, but it’s important when choosing the weight you’re using to not go too heavy, as you want to work your core, not strain your back.

Lastly, some individuals prefer to use the bar attachment instead of the rope attachment to perform this exercise. They make this alteration when they want, or need to work the sides of the core separately. When doing so you will first work the right side, then the left, and then repeat.