Rope Crunch

What it is

This exercise is a kneeling crunch performed using a cable machine and a rope attachment. It primarily targets your abdominal muscles, helping to build a strong and defined core. You will kneel and pull the rope attachment down towards your knees, focusing on flexing your spine.

Technique tips

• Initiate the movement by flexing your spine, not pulling with arms.
• Bring your rib cage towards your hips for full abdominal engagement.
• Exhale as you crunch down, contracting your core intensely.
• Pause briefly at the bottom to maximize your abdominal contraction.
• Slowly return to the starting position, controlling the cable weight.
• Add a slight twist at the bottom to target your oblique muscles.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.