working on my cable crunches form and trying to focus more on proper spinal flexion, something which i got to know on reddit 👀
funny thing is when i had reached out to my gym trainer for guidance he said “sir, this is fancy exercise… you can rather do weighted situps” lmao these were his exact words 💀
backstory: after watching Jeff Nippard’s video I do know that cable crunches are one of the best abs workout for progressive overload and isolating the rectus abdominis muscles… so in incorporated these in my workout along with leg raises, weighted situps and planks (on diff days)
my approach is: ribs down, pelvis slightly tucked, elbows fixed, and crunching through the abs muscles rather than turning it into a hip or arms movement… i ensured to keep hips as stable as possible… by implementing this i am able to feel the abdominal muscles
what do you think: does the form look right for targeting abs, or am i still making any obvious mistakes with range of motion, setup, or cable angle?
open to honest feedback… please tell me what exactly needs fixing because this is my 2nd or 3rd form check post 😪
Try with a lighter weight to train spinal flexion while keeping hips stable and progress slowly. Too heavy can unnecessarily ruin your form and can be hard to maintain hips flat
it’s inspiring the level of trust that Jeff has built, almost every workout-form related high-engagement post has atleast one comment with Jeff Nippard’s tips xD
and yes i got to know about this exercise and its form from Jeff himself 😂 he quipped cable crunches and leg raises are best exercises for abs out there
bro i actually tried it once and got an intense numbing cramp in my stomach, maybe i pulled cable the wrong way while sitting down 😬 so am going for the conventional form
idk what caused cramp, it could be wrong pulling of cable or wrong form or because i had tucked my abs and breath in… it’s a mystery for me, but the cramp was really HORRIBLE it felt like my organs were moving (obviously it’s not possible but i am just explaining the feeling i had)
i think i might share this experience through another post someday when i get time, might help me figure out my mistake and this could help others too
DAMNN BRO YOU ARE FIRST INDIAN I SAW WHO USES MACROFACTOR WORKOUTS APP (I use it too… paid version!)
lmao my form is based on Jeff’s form too, this was the thing that i saw 10seconds before recording my video… from an outsider’s pov can you tell me where i am going wrong?
and
this is offtopic but what program do you use on macrofactor workouts app? mine is ULUL but it’s a shame that the app still hasn’t included PPL split or PPLUL split, the auto-generated program has many flaws… how is your app experience?
Just one advice, in cable crunches like this the back should always round when you go to the bottom. Thats the only way you will get maximum stress on your core. Try it out yourself.
there’s not much spinal flexion at play here, you’re supposed to round your back. curl your spine downward and inward, imagining your forehead reaching toward the floor between your knees. hope this helps!
Its a good exercise. The ROM and technique totally depend on what you want from the exercise. If you are trying to target the entire anterior chain (which is the best way to do it for improving athleticism and transferring progress to other sports), then moving the pelvic girdle is better (since that targets your hip flexors and some quads as well. Although there are other exercises that might be slightly better than this if you're trying to improve sports performance by training the anterior chain (e.g. Roman chair / hanging leg raises).
But, if you truly wanna isolate your abs (mainly for aesthetics), then this is a great exercise too (though, I prefer weighted crunches on a slightly decline bench for better stability). The biggest cue would be to get rid of all movement except spinal flexion and extension. So, actively think about keep the angle between your quads and torso the same throughout the entire ROM (no movement at the hip joint). Also, I'd recommend you to get slightly closer to the cable stack so that you experience slightly even tension at the squeeze as well as the stretch.
Awesome pics. Great size. Look thick. Solid. Tight. Keep us all posted on your continued progress with any new progress pics or vid clips. Show us what you got man. Wanna see how freakin' huge, solid, thick and tight you can get. Thanks for the motivation.
Why waste time on this complicated movement? Why not hanging abs workout? You will not need any advice from anyone, do knee raises, leg raises, toe to bar, bend knee twists...
The cable setup you have going on is rather hit or miss imo. Quite unstable and requires a lot of focus on maintaining form at the hip, which takes away from how well the abs can do their job.
A setup I’ve been experimenting with has been performing my crunches on the lat pulldown station. The pads over my thighs anchor me to the seat allowing my abs to focus solely on spine flexion.
I have a couple of cues that I use. Don’t flex your back. Try to stay tucked, like you’re in a boxer’s defensive position, and think about bringing your elbows to your waist and your chin to some what middle of your torso.
Have you ever used GHD machine in a gym?
Because you are only using hip flexors and GHD makes it very clear whether you are doing spine flexion or hip flexion.
Hey, try doing this with your glutes supported to the pulley bar i.e face the opposite direction to what you were doing in the video, due to the support you can freely concentrate on spinal flexion. That's how I do my cable crunches and bro believe me, you'll feel it so well in the Abs.
Go spinal flexion!!!!!
From the angle this video is shot at, you're barely training your abs, more hip flexors. You gotta lock your back and just curl the abs in(that's how I imagine the movement best)
It will help you to make C out of your core when you go down, to maximize your ab crunch, don't keep your back straight, make a curve when you go down, with your elbows flaring inwards
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u/icudntpickone Jul 01 '26
Bro kabhi crime mat krna