Cable Reverse Crunch

Setup

1. 01Set a cable to the lowest pulley position and attach an ankle strap or hold the rope with the feet.
2. 02Lie on your back with your head away from the stack and the cable secured at the ankles or under the feet.
3. 03Bend the hips and knees to about 90 degrees with light tension on the cable.
4. 04Hold something stable overhead or press the arms into the floor.

Execution

1. 01Curl the pelvis up and pull the knees toward the chest against the cable.
2. 02Lift the hips and lower back off the floor at the top.
3. 03Pause with the abs fully shortened.
4. 04Lower slowly, letting the cable pull the knees back to the start without the back arching.

Checkpoints

• -The pelvis tilts and lifts; the knees do not just swing back and forth.
• -Cable tension never fully slackens at the bottom.
• -Lower back returns to the floor under control on every rep.
• -Knee angle stays roughly constant so the abs, not the legs, do the work.

Common mistakes

• -Swinging the legs and using momentum to beat the stack.
• -Letting the weight yank the legs down and arch the lumbar spine.
• -Only moving the knees without curling the pelvis off the floor.
• -Setting the load too heavy to complete the hip lift.