Cable Side Crunch
- Level
- Intermediate
- Equipment
- Cable Machine
- Movement
- Crunch · Standing
- Tracks
- Weight & Reps
Works
Obliques Abdominals Lower Back Back
How to do it
- Stand perpendicular to a cable machine with a D-handle or regular one-arm handle set just above shoulder level.
- Grasp the handle with the hand nearest the machine and hold it beside your head, elbow bent. Set your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent.
- Slowly lower your torso to the side, bringing your elbow toward your hip as you contract your obliques.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then slowly return to the starting position, resisting the weight.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps on one side, then switch sides and repeat with the other arm.
Common mistakes
- Pulling the head or neck with the hand instead of moving from the waist.
- Bending at the hips or leaning the whole body rather than flexing the spine laterally.
- Letting the cable snap you back to the start, losing tension and control.
- Using too much weight and swinging with momentum.
- Rotating or twisting the torso instead of pure side bending.
- Holding the breath during the contraction.
Safety
Use a load you can control; heavy stacks combined with a side-bent, twisted spine can strain the lower back.
Keep the spine neutral in the sagittal plane and avoid adding rotation under load.
Stop if you feel pinching in the lower back or neck.
Tips
- Stand far enough from the stack that there is tension even at the top of the movement.
- Think of pulling your bottom ribs down toward your hip on the working side, and keep the movement in the spine, not the hips.
- Keep the hips level and facing forward; do not let them shift toward the machine.
- Move slowly on the return, taking two to three seconds to resist the cable.
- Exhale sharply on the crunch and keep the neck long.
Details
- Base movement
- Crunch
- Handle
- D-handle
- Arms
- One
- Hand orientation
- Neutral (palms facing each other)
- Body position
- Standing
- Facing
- Sideways to the anchor
- Pulley height
- High
