FAST-ATTACH FITNESS

EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS

UPPER ABS CRUNCH

Primary Muscle Targeted:

Rectus Abdominis

Learning Difficulty Level: Beginner

Setup Difficulty Level: Beginner

Performance Difficulty Level: Beginner

DEMONSTRATION VIDEO

EQUIPMENT & ATTACHMENTS

Equipment Needed To Perform This Exercise

• Adjustable-height single or adjacent dual cable machine

• Adjustable bench

• Fast-Attach All In 1 Fitness Strap

Alternative Equipmnet Option To Perform This Exercise

• High cable pulley system

When using a high cable pulley system, you will need to apply additional force with your arms to hold the long bar attachment up to prevent the long bar attachment from sliding down your body. In this case, it is recommended to use either specialty handles or vertical handles designed for comfort to rest against your body.

A higher cable pulley setting will make this exercise easier to perform.

If you use a high cable pulley system, a good solution to decrease the cable angle is to move your bench as far away as possible from the cable pulley.

Equipment Shown Here

BODY MASTERS ADJUSTABLE-HEIGHT SINGLE CABLE MACHINE

Body Masters Adjustable-Height Single Cable Machine

Prime Fitness Adjustable Bench

Fast-Attach All In 1 Fitness Strap

• Click the links above to purchase

Choose One Attachment Option To Perform This Exercise

**Any attachment with a (*) sign is recommended as the best option**

• Long bar with pad attachment*

• Specialty handles*

• Long bar

• Horizontal handles

• Vertical handles

• Belt squat strap

• Ab straps

• Arm straps

Attachments Shown Here

Amazon Double-Anchor Long Bar

Iron Bull Barbell Pad

• Click the links above to purchase.

SETUP

Equipment Setup

**• 90* bench**

Equipment Distance From The Cable Pulley

• Approximately 1 foot

Attachment Setup

• Connect the All In 1 Fitness Strap to an adjustable-height single or adjacent dual cable machine or to a high cable pulley system.

• If you are using a single cable machine, connect the center anchor ring to the cable pulley.

• If you are using an adjacent dual cable machine, connect the side anchor rings to the adjacent dual cable pulleys.

• Attach the long bar to the All In 1 Fitness Strap.

• Position an attachment pad over the long bar.

• Position the long bar on the bench pad or on the ground against the side of the bench.

All In 1 Fitness Strap Attachment Setting Shown Here

• Loop 8

Angle Of Resistance

**• Approximately 20* downward**

EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS

Getting Into Starting Position

Option 1 (Standing):

• From a standing position with your back against the bench pad, grab the long bar and position it with the pad on your upper chest close to your shoulders.

• Hold the long bar in place as you slide down to a seated position on the seat pad. Your upper torso should end up wedged between the bench pad and the long bar.

• Do not position the long bar on your middle or lower chest, as this will decrease the range of motion.

Option 2 (Seated):

• From a seated position, grab the long bar and position it with the pad on your upper chest close to your shoulders.

• Your upper torso should end up wedged between the bench pad and the long bar attachment.

• Do not position the long bar on your middle or lower chest, as this will decrease the range of motion.

Starting Position

• Seated

• Face away from the cable pulley

• Neutral spine

• Torso vertical

• Legs bent about 90*

• Arms fully bent

• Hold the long bar with an overhand grip

Performing The Concentric Portion Of The Movement

• Initiate the movement by hinging at your thoracic spine. Do not hinge at your hips.

• Use a slow-to-moderate, controlled tempo that works best for you.

• Your primary focus and concentration should be on using your mind-muscle connection to visualize your upper ab muscles contracting. You may count the number of seconds to control your rep speed as long as this doesn't interfere with your concentration on your technique.

• Focus on contracting your upper abs concentrically by rounding your spine slightly and bending forward to drive the long bar away from you at about a 20* downward angle. Do not round your spine in a downward movement, as this pushes the long bar down, causing you to lose cable resistance.

• Very little, if any force, is needed with your arms to hold the long bar up to prevent the long bar from sliding down your body. If you need to apply some force with your arms to hold the long bar up to prevent the long bar from sliding down your body, a good solution is to decrease the height of the cable pulley.

• Keep your hips relaxed throughout the entire movement. Do not press your feet into the ground, as this will tighten your hips. You can press your feet into the ground once you reach muscular failure if you need additional assistance.

• Keep your arms relaxed throughout the entire movement. You can press your arms against the long bar once you reach muscular failure if you need additional assistance.

Finish Position

• Upper torso angled forward and up about 45-60*

• Upper abs fully contracted, but not too tightly

Performing The Eccentric Portion Of The Movement

• Focus on expanding your upper abs eccentrically by reversing the movement and returning to the starting position.

• Maintain constant tension and control in your upper ab muscles throughout the entire eccentric movement. Do not relax and let the resistance do the work during the eccentric portion of the movement, as this reduces the work on your upper ab muscles and decreases the effectiveness of the exercise.

Getting Out Of Position And Returning The Attachment

• Lift the long bar up and to the side.

• You may need to move your head back slightly to avoid contacting the long bar.

• Rest the long bar either on the bench pad or on the ground and against the side of the bench.

Safety And Injury Prevention

• Do not use too much resistance for abs exercises, as this can result in a hernia.

• Maintain good form, and do not use an excessive amount of resistance that may cause you to neglect proper posture and lose control.

• To avoid muscle tightening and cramping, do not squeeze your muscles too tightly in the fully contracted position.

• Stop immediately if you feel any significant pain beyond normal muscle burn, fatigue, and soreness, such as a sharp pain, joint pain, and pain that increases with movement and/or limits movement.

Exercise Setup Limitations

• This exercise will work with plenty of resistance for the majority of people. For those who use very heavy resistance, your bench may shift slightly.

Common Mistakes

• Do not bend forward at the neck. Keep your neck in a neutral position.

• Do not hinge at your hips and keep your torso in a neutral position. Hinge at your thoracic spine.

• Do not use momentum in an attempt to move the resistance, as this will reduce the work on the target muscle and shift the work to your joints and other body parts and may result in injury. Control the resistance at a steady pace that is comfortable for you.

Tips

• If you do not have a pad to put over the long bar, you can use a thick towel, or you can hold the long bar in front of you with your arms straight to perform the movement.

• You can perform this exercise without any attachments by placing the strap over your chest and holding the strap.

• Use your mind-muscle connection to visualize your upper abs contracting and expanding rather than just moving your torso back and forth.

Set Extenders And Exercise Progressions

• Once you reach the point of muscular failure, you can extend the set further to increase the intensity by pausing and resting long enough to perform at least 1 more rep.

• Once you reach the point of muscular failure, you can extend the set further to increase the intensity by pressing your feet into the ground to use your hips for assistance or by pressing your arms against the long bar to give yourself assistance to perform additional reps.

Progress by:

• adding more resistance while maintaining good form.

• performing the exercise in an incline or lying position.

• performing sit-up exercise variations.

Benefits Of This Exercise

• This exercise is easy to learn and a great choice for beginners, as well as those of any fitness level.

• This version of upper abs crunch is more comfortable on your lower back region than other versions of this exercise.

• This version of upper abs crunch offers you greater leverage to use more resistance than other versions of this exercise.

• The upper abs crunch plane of movement is circular, and using cable resistance for circular movements provides continuous tension throughout the entire movement.

• Simulates commercial seated ab crunch machines.