Kneeling Crunch

How to do it

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor. Place your hands behind your head or across your chest. Curl your torso up by contracting your abs, then lower back down.

1. 1Kneel facing away from the cable and hold the rope at your ears, crunching down by rounding your spine
2. 2You should feel your abs pulling your ribs toward your hips, focus on spinal flexion rather than hip flexion
3. 3Control the return and keep tension on your core throughout the movement

Common mistakes

• ×Don't pull the rope with your arms or let your hips rock back and forth
• ×Avoid extending through your lower back or arching as you return to the top
• ×Don't rush; use a slow tempo to maximise abdominal engagement

Muscles worked

The kneeling crunch mainly works the upper abs and lower abs, with the obliques assisting.

• Upper AbsPrimary
• Lower AbsPrimary
• ObliquesSupport
• QuadsMinor