Resisted Crunch

Kneel facing a cable stack with the attachment held at your chest or behind your head, far enough back that the cable stays taut at the top of the movement. Crunch down by rounding your spine and bringing your chest toward your hips, feeling the resistance build as you move further from the stack. Return to upright with control rather than letting the cable snap you back. This is the plain, straight-ahead version of a cable crunch — no twist, no incline, just added resistance on the basic curl of your spine. Keep your hips still and let the movement come from your ribcage folding down, not your hip flexors pulling you forward.