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Crunches With Variations

by Abby
(Dallas, TX)

I love to do different kinds of crunches. There's the standard crunch. I like to hold some hand weights above my head (parallel to the floor) and do crunches because it increases resistance. More resistance = better results.

I love to do crunches with my legs held straight up in the air.

I also like to do The Plank. Keeping your stomach muscles tight, you suspend yourself on extended arms. With your legs stretched out behind you, prop one foot on top of the other. You can also alternately lift up each foot 5 seconds at a time. This has great results, but at first it burns!




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starstarstarstarstar 		Planking vs. Crunching
by: Bill (Site Owner)

Abby: You'll be much better off in the long run if you do more planking than crunching. The science of ab training has really evolved over the last few years. People have always been told they had to do hundreds and hundreds of crunches if they wanted to work their abs and flatten their stomach (they are still told that in many gyms and by many trainers).

Crunches are much less effective than planks (front and side) and should be a small part of your ab training. For some people they should be excluded entirely, depending on the situation.

Three Reasons:

1) Greater muscle activation. Crunches primarily work your rectus abdominis (the main anterior muscle of your torso). Planking works your entire core, front and back. Not only are you strengthening your ab muscles, you're doing the same for your back.

2) Function. Research has shown that in athletics and most everyday activities, your abs are called on to work much more as a stabilizer than as a mover.

Anytime you are exerting force with your upper or lower body, your core muscles have to contract strongly to stabilize your torso and prevent movement. A weak core reduces your power. Planking trains your core to be strong stabilizers because planks train your isometric strength, something crunches don't do.

3) Back Health. Every time you do a crunch, you are performing spinal flexion. This repeated bending forward that occurs with crunching can wear out your spinal discs over time. Think of your discs as car tires. Every crunch you do puts a little more mileage on your tires. Over time, your tires wear out and you get a blow out (disc herniation). It might take years for this to happen, but reduce your crunching can help save your discs. If you already have disc issues, you shouldn't be doing any crunches at all.

In summary, Planks work your ab and core more fully, train your abs in a functional way, and preserve your spinal discs by avoiding the repeated bending that occurs with crunches.

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