Good Sweat
Why crunches won’t give you flat abs, and will hurt your body
Crunches (and variations of crunches) have long been the most popular tool in the ab-strengthening kit, but that’s about to change.
At gyms and fitness studios around the city, trainers are replacing them with other creative core-training moves. “Planks are the new crunches,” one trainer told us recently.
That’s a great thing, says Brynn Jinnett, founder of the Refine Method. While the moves were supposed to be a safer replacement for the now shunned sit-up, crunches may actually be damaging your body, she says.
Brynn Jinnett of the Refine Method says there are lots of better ways to strengthen your core than crunches
WHY CRUNCHES MAY ACTUALLY BE BAD FOR YOU
“You sit all day at your desk, hunched over with rounded shoulders—and then crunches put you into the exact same position and reinforce it,” says Jinnett. That rounded posture can cause all kinds of problems, putting other areas out of alignment.
To add insult to injury, crunches also won’t deliver a six-pack or flat abs, because they only train the forward flexing of your torso, one movement among many that they’re responsible for.
Wait! What about that awesome burn you feel as you curl up for the 50th time?
WHY FEELING THE BURN IS BOGUS
“The burning you feel with high-repetition, low-weight exercises like crunches is just one of those things that happens. But it’s not fat loss happening, it’s not calories burned, it’s not strengthening—it’s just something that happens,” explains Jinnett. “People are confusing short-term sensation and long-term results.”
So how should you strengthen your midsection?
Jinnett says that you should train your core to “reflexively stabilize in a functional way,” while keeping your spine neutral (not rounded). See her suggested exercises you can do at home—from plank variations to resistance band movements—here.
And about those flat abs: Definition is all about reducing body fat, and since spot burning is impossible, you’ll have to slim down overall in order to get those abdominal “parentheses” to peek out.
“Abs are made in the kitchen,” says Jinnett, “not at the gym.” —Lisa Elaine Held
As I always tell me clients, ab training is more for stability then high reps. High reps will simply compress your spine. If you can do more than 10-20 reps, the exercise is too easy and simply becomes repetitive movement. Crunches, when done slowly, in a controlled and focused way, are just fine when combined with other exercises.
Planks are even more useless..it belongs in the junk heap of useless exercises for showing abs right alongside crunches and cardio..its 100% diet..PERIOD!
Test comment.
@Sonny, abs are not 100% diet! I’ve been extremely skinny and had zero hint of abs visible, but when I was fuller (had more fat) but worked out, I had some definition.
Although you need to lose body fat for visible abs, you still need to work them out to actually have abs to see!
You have a good point there! I have been doing crunches for a long time but I also experience back pains. Hhmm this is interesting. I have never tried plank exercises before but it might work. During workouts, I personally recommend a Berlei sports bra because it gives a very good breast compression and the straps won’t hurt your shoulders. You should try it yourself! Great blog, by the way. Love the info…