Rope Crunch

How to perform

1. 01Kneel 1-2 feet in front of a cable system with a rope attached.
2. 02After selecting an appropriate weight, grasp the rope with both hands reaching overhead. Your torso should be upright in the starting position.
3. 03To begin, flex at the spine, attempting to bring your rib cage to your legs as you pull the cable down.
4. 04Pause at the bottom of the motion, and then slowly return to the starting position.
5. 05These can be done with twists or to the side to hit the obliques.

Form cues

• —Lead with the elbows and finish by squeezing the target muscle.
• —Control the lowering phase — that is where most of the growth stimulus lives.

Common mistakes

• —Using momentum instead of the target muscle.
• —Cutting the range of motion short to add load.