Skip to content
ascend.
Exercise guide

Rope Crunch

How to do the Rope Crunch with correct form, the muscles it works, and where it fits a training plan you actually stick to.

IsolationCableBeginnerPull
Primary muscles

Abs

Secondary

Equipment

Cable

Step by step

How to do the Rope Crunch

  1. 1

    Kneel 1-2 feet in front of a cable system with a rope attached.

  2. 2

    After selecting an appropriate weight, grasp the rope with both hands reaching overhead. Your torso should be upright in the starting position.

  3. 3

    To begin, flex at the spine, attempting to bring your rib cage to your legs as you pull the cable down.

  4. 4

    Pause at the bottom of the motion, and then slowly return to the starting position.

  5. 5

    These can be done with twists or to the side to hit the obliques.

In Ascend

Log it, see it on your body.

Every Rope Crunch set you log feeds Ascend's anatomy heatmap — so your abs volume is visible at a glance — and counts toward your bodyweight-strength tier.

Related

More abs exercises

Ascend Club

The app is free. Club adds the coach, leagues and analytics.

Core tracking stays free forever — the climb, streaks, logging and your league tiers. Club is for when you want the full coach, worldwide competition and the depth, at about the price of one coffee a month.

See Club plans

14-day free trial · no card to start

 FreeClub
Tracking, the climb and streaks
Per-set logging, PR detection, wearables
Muscle-league tiers
The AI coachnudgesFull conversation
Worldwide leagues and challenges
PR projections and deep analytics
Unlimited crews
Themes, export and higher AI limits