Stop Doing Crunches and Start Doing Planks

 
 

I don’t do sit ups and rarely do crunches.  And here’s why.  The purpose of our abdominal muscles is to stabilize the spine.  Think of them as braces for the spine.  When you perform a traditional sit up movement, you are flexing the spine, not stabilizing it.  Too much flexion of the spine can lead to low back pain over time.  One of the best stabilization exercises is the plank.  To perform a plank, prop up on your forearms in a pushup position and hold for 30-60 seconds.  According to research, this is almost 66 percent more effective than crunches.  Holding this movement recruits more muscle fibers than any type of crunching movement, ultimately building more definition.  And if you really want to challenge yourself, reduce your stability.  You can raise one arm, one leg, or both.  Just make sure you brace through the core to not allow your spine or hips to move or rotate.
What about crunches?  It is a basic exercise for the abs and perfect for the beginner or intermediate exerciser.  The trick is being educated on the proper mechanics of crunches.   Your elbows should be out to the side and your hands should support the neck rather than help to lift you up.  You should also expel the air from your lungs when you curl up and concentrate on only using your abdomen throughout the entire movement pattern which should be slow and controlled.  Performing a proper crunch is a good way to focus the mid on the abdominal muscles and a great start to prepare for more advanced core exercises such as planks.
Remember that old saying that abs are made in the kitchen?  Even if you’ve mastered planks, you still need to watch your diet.  It doesn’t matter how hard you train your abs, if you don’t lay off the fast food, you’ll have a really hard time getting that 6-pack!