Rope Crunch

A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.

Rope Crunch — Starting position Starting position
Rope Crunch — End position End position
Difficulty Beginner
Type Strength
Equipment Cable Machine
Primary Muscle Abs
AI Rep Counting Log manually

How to Do Rope Crunch

  1. Kneel 1-2 feet in front of a cable system with a rope attached.
  2. After selecting an appropriate weight, grasp the rope with both hands reaching overhead. Your torso should be upright in the starting position.
  3. To begin, flex at the spine, attempting to bring your rib cage to your legs as you pull the cable down.
  4. Pause at the bottom of the motion, and then slowly return to the starting position.
  5. These can be done with twists or to the side to hit the obliques.

Muscles Worked

Front

Primary

Where Rope Crunch does most of its work.

Alternatives to Rope Crunch

10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.

  1. 1 Standing Rope Crunch

    Standing Rope Crunch

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.

    beginner Cable Machine
  2. 2 Cross-Body Crunch

    Cross-Body Crunch

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.

    beginner No Equipment
  3. 3 Crunch - Hands Overhead

    Crunch - Hands Overhead

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.

    beginner No Equipment
  4. 4 Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball

    Crunch - Legs On Exercise Ball

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.

    beginner No Equipment
  5. 5 Decline Oblique Crunch

    Decline Oblique Crunch

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.

    beginner No Equipment
  6. 6 Decline Reverse Crunch

    Decline Reverse Crunch

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.

    beginner No Equipment
  7. 7 Exercise Ball Crunch

    Exercise Ball Crunch

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using an exercise ball.

    beginner Exercise Ball
  8. 8 Reverse Crunch

    Reverse Crunch

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.

    beginner No Equipment
  9. 9 Suspended Reverse Crunch

    Suspended Reverse Crunch

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs.

    beginner Not specified
  10. 10 Tuck Crunch

    Tuck Crunch

    A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.

    beginner No Equipment

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles do rope crunch work?

Rope Crunch primarily works the abs.

What equipment do I need for rope crunch?

Rope Crunch uses cable machine.

Rope Crunch: is it suitable for beginners?

Yes. Rope Crunch is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.

What can I do instead of rope crunch?

Standing Rope Crunch, Cross-Body Crunch, Crunch - Hands Overhead train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.

Can Fitnit count my rope crunch reps automatically?

Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; rope crunch can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.

Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.

Track Your Rope Crunch with AI

Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.