To really get your abs to "pop," you need to train them with extra resistance.

And the Cable Crunch is an excellent exercise for targeting the rectus abdominis, a.k.a. the six-pack abs, with direct resistance.

Crunch movements often get a bad rap...and often for good reason, primarily due to overuse and/or poor form. However, that doesn't mean resisted spinal flexion (e.g. a crunch) isn't a movement that shouldn't be trained...it just should be trained more effectively.

This variation of the Cable Crunch takes a slightly different approach to the exercise, adding a pushdown element.

Instead of holding the cable handle behind your head and performing a "pulling" crunch, you will instead lock your arms straight and perform a "pushing" crunch, which I find to be more effective for hitting the six-pack abs..

In addition, this exact setup is going to allow you to change the pivot point (fulcrum) of the exercise partway through, getting an even greater contraction on the six-pack abs than you can get with a regular cable crunch.

 

How to Do It

To do this one, you'll need a high pulley, a straight or cambered bar attachment and a bench. You can also use a band hitched to something high up to mimic the cable.

Ideally we'd like to have an adjustable incline bench (I set mine to a slight incline to get higher up off the floor in order to get greater range of motion, but you can still definitely use a flat bench) and a short length of chain or cable. This extra chain is not 100% necessary, though, it just makes the setup a bit easier and you should be able to do without it.

Use a fairly light to moderate weight to start with as the mechanics will be different than a behind-the-head cable crunch.

Kneel on the end of the bench and perform pushdown with the weight until your arms are straight and locked out directly under you. The cable will be running down beside your head (either side).

You should start the movement with an arch in your lower back in order to achieve full range of motion in the rectus abdominis. This position puts them in a slight stretch.

Now start pushing the bar straight down towards the floor.

As you start getting towards the bottom, you're going change the path of the cable. Let the cable "brace" on your shoulder. Then bring the handle directly underneath your body.

This is the change in pivot point I was talking about. Where the cable runs across your shoulder becomes the new pivot point, which allows you to push the bar further under your body (as long as your bench style allows it). This increases the amount of spinal flexion you can achieve, which increases the contraction of the six-pack abs, especially in the upper section of the rectus abdominis.

Reverse the direction then come back up to the top position with your body just slightly above horizontal and an arch in your lower back.

Do not let your torso come up to vertical again...we want to maintain tension in the six-pack abs.

Perform this entire movement under tight control...no bouncing or momentum allowed. We're looking for a strong contraction with this exercise.

This exercise is going to strongly work the six-pack abs with enough resistance to achieve muscle development and hypertrophy...not meaning that your waist will get thicker but that the "packs" of your six-pack will pop out more.

The contraction you're going to get from this one is phenomenal and very different from a regular cable crunch.

You can watch the entire video of it here.

Or start from the exercise demo here.

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Want More Killer Ab Exercises Like This?

I've got six more for you here...

• Dumbbell Crawling
• Barbell Pullover Dragon Flag Leg Raises
• One Dumbbell Curl Squats
• Ab Rippers
• One-Arm Hammer Planks
• Pallof Press Abdominal Sit-Ups

If you want to truly build a strong, rock-hard, functional midsection, these are the exercises that will do it for you.

Check them out here.

Nick Nilsson
The "Mad Scientist of Muscle"

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