Build Blocky Abs With This Exercise

Often you'll see people in the gym doing a crunch, where they are kneeling on the floor using a rope attached to a cable machine. Although this crunch variation is a popular one, I believe the variation pictured below will give you so much more in return when it comes to building blocky abs.

Standing Abdominal Crunch

What Makes This Variation So Good?

The crunch kneeling on the floor variation in my opinion is an exercise where tension on the targeted muscle can be lost very easily when trying to shift the focus from the abs to the obliques. In addition to this, I have seen too many people in the gym using what are suppose to be stabilizer muscles (such as the biceps) to perform the movement which defeats the purpose of the exercise.

In comparison, I have found the Standing Abdominal Crunch variation to be quite versatile as it gives you the option to work your obliques, as well as your main abdominal region effectively. Just by making the subtle move of altering your foot placement will enable you to switch from performing this crunch facing forward targeting the abs, to then changing quickly to performing it with a side bend movement instead, which then puts more emphasis on the obliques.

Guidance On The Set Up

The first thing you need to do is get yourself a rope and find a high pulley cable machine.

Once you have found a high pulley cable machine, attach a rope attachment to the pin on the machine and ensure that its directly aligned with your shoulder height.

Why Is The Set Up & Starting Position So Important?

It’s extremely important you set up for this exercise as I have explained above, as it will enable you to perform the crunch correctly and reap the benefits of the movement with added resistance as you progress and become stronger.

How To Perform A Standing Abdominal Crunch

Once you have completed the set up:

1. Grab the rope attachment with a weight that you know you can perform the exercise with. Pull back as you turn your body around simultaneously, until you are facing forward away from the cable machine. You then proceed to put one foot in front of the other. This will be your starting position.
   
   
   
   
2. Begin by bending at the waist until your torso is parallel to the floor. At this point you should feel your abdominal muscles working and contracting. Once you feel the contraction, pause and squeeze the abdominal muscles before returning back to the starting position. Continue to repeat the same movement over again for the desired number of reps before switching sides.
   
   

Conclusion: Why Is This Exercise Better Than Other Existing Weighted Crunch Variations?

What I really like about the Standing Abdominal Crunch is that it is an all-round, no nonsense exercise that you are less likely to cheat on when compared with the crunch kneeling from the floor. The fact that you’re performing the movement from a standing position forces your abdominals to be more independent, and this can only lead to more gains.

In addition to building blocky abs and strengthening your core, this exercise can also easily be manipulated to target the obliques. As I touched upon above, a slight alteration to the foot placement allows you to perform a side bend crunching movement which is fantastic if, like me, you also like to add super-sets into your routines to increase the overall intensity.

Be sure to give this variation a shot and leave a comment about what you thought of it!

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