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The
Crunch Pulldown is a very simple exercise to do,
perfect for hitting the abs in a way they're not
used to at all. For this one, all you need is
a high pulley and a bar attachment.
Hook
up the bar to the pulley and set a moderate weight
on it. You don't want to go too heavy or you won't
be able to perform the exercise. After you do
it once, you'll get a better idea of how much
weight you can use.
Lie
on your back under the pulley. In my own gym,
I have an adjustable-height pulley and have it
set a few feet off the ground so all I have to
do is reach up and grab the bar. If you have just
a regular, unmoveable high pulley, the exercise
will work exactly the same way but you'll have
to grab the bar first THEN lie down in position
rather than lying down first then reaching up
and grabbing the bar.
Once
you're on your back (with your head directly under
the pulley), pull the bar down so that your elbows
are bent about 90 degrees. Your knees should be
bent 90 degrees and feet placed flat on the floor.
The bar should be 8 to 12 inches above your body.
That's the start position.
Now
crunch up. But here's the trick - as you're crunching
up, DO NOT use the weight to help pull yourself
up. Instead, perform a pulldown movement as you're
crunching up. To do this, just pull the bar down
towards your lower chest until it touches your
lower chest, all while crunching up.
So
not only do you get the normal tension from the
crunch movement, you're also getting tension on
the abs using the weight from the pulldown movement.
This really fires up the six-pack muscles to help
them stand out. It's a unique angle of resistance
that your abs have probably never felt before!
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