Core · Cable
Cable Crunch
How to do the cable crunch, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Cable
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Core Hold
- Mechanic
- Accessory
How to do it
Kneel in front of a cable machine with a rope attachment. Hold the rope near your head and crunch down, engaging your core. Slowly return to the starting position.
- 1You should feel a strong contraction through your entire abdominal wall
- 2Keep your spine neutral as you hinge from your rib cage down
- 3Anchor the rope behind your head and focus on pulling with your abs, not your arms
Common mistakes
- Avoid pulling the rope with your arms
- Don't use your hip flexors to initiate the movement
- Stay smooth, no jerky motions or excessive momentum
Muscles worked
The cable crunch mainly works the upper abs and lower abs, with the obliques assisting.
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- ObliquesSupport
- QuadsMinor
Cable Crunch strength standards
See how your cable crunch ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM50 lb
Silvere1RM107.5 lb
Golde1RM190 lb
Platinume1RM282.5 lb
Diamonde1RM337.5 lb
Champione1RM385 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the cable crunch for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed April 2026.