I'll see what hits my RA better.
I was starting to have a problem with the cable crunches though. There was nothing for me to hook my ankles under, so if i went up another 10-20lbs, it'd be almost impossible for me to perform them. So I needed an alternative anyway.
Swissball cable crunches are another option. They may get impractical to do though. But I think I can hook my feet under something when I do them. Im sure I can go damn heavy on those with minimal hip flexor work.
I just want to hypertrophy the shit out of my abs and I feel like there is, at the moment, no solution in terms of an exercise I can do long term (years) to constantly progress on that has the RA as the PRIMARY movers. Cable crunches were the only ab exercise to give me a pump in my RA. I mean an actual pump. When I would bend over to tie my shoes, my fridge abs would get in the way. Sure i've fell a burn in my "lower abs" from hanging leg raises, but those are hip flexors you're feeling:
The combination of the local muscular fatigue, or a burning sensation from the isometrically contracted abdominal muscles, and from the working hip flexors produces fatigue in the pelvis area which we mistakenly interpret as the lower portion of the Rectus Abdominis being exercised.
http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Myths.htmlThey mostly work the RA isometrically (unless you flex your waist hard at the top) but I still never had an RA pump from them. Abs get enough isometric work done in the form of squats, deads, pull ups, etc. I want to directly hypertrophy them