equipment

Cable

sets

3

reps

12-15

rest

45-60 sec

1. Set a pulley to a high position and attach a rope.
2. Kneel facing the machine, an arm's length back.
3. Hold the rope ends beside your head with your hands at your temples.
4. Sit your hips back slightly and set your torso upright.
5. Brace your midsection before the first repetition.

1. Curl your torso downward by flexing your spine.
2. Bring your elbows toward your thighs, rounding your upper back.
3. Keep your hips still — the movement is at the spine, not the hips.
4. Squeeze your abdominals at the bottom of the curl.
5. Return upward under control until your torso is upright again.

Exhale as you curl down, inhale as you return to the upright position.

• Curl the spine — do not hinge at the hips.
• Keep your hands fixed beside your head throughout.
• Keep your hips in one place for the whole set.
• Control the return rather than letting the stack pull you upright.
• Use a weight light enough that the spine still curls.

• Hinging at the hips so it becomes a kneeling row.
• Pulling the rope with the arms instead of curling the trunk.
• Letting the hips travel back and forth each repetition.
• Going so heavy that the spine stays rigid.
• Letting the weight stack snap the torso upright.

From an upright kneeling torso to a fully curled trunk with the elbows near the thighs. The range comes from spinal flexion only.