abdominal crunches

katashaaa

just started doing abdominal crunches yesterday for the first time in like 5 years, not gonna lie, it was a struggle lol. I remember when I used to be able to do 50 without any problems, I did 15 and couldn't go any further.
Just curious to see if anyone else does them and do you have any tips of what I should/shouldn't do, I know about not straining my neck as I've done that in the past lol

KarenJanine

any tips of what I should/shouldn't do

You should do them if you wish to strengthen your core.

You shouldn't expect them to flatten/'tone' your stomach or give you a six pack - fat reduction through diet is necessary for that.

yogicarl

Try this little program which will take around the same time to do but hit the mid-section from more angles:

V-sits (yoga Boat pose) – 5 sets of 5 full breaths
L-sits – 6 sets of 10 seconds. You can start with your heels on the floor, but the aim is to raise the legs straight out in front during the lift
Plank – hold for as long as you can with good form
Side Plank – again hold (each side) for as long as you can in good form
And to complete the compliment – the yoga Cobra pose. Five of those slowly up as far as is comfortable. Try not to rely on arms to rise up; use your lower back.

Now – can you feel your core?

steve0820

Try this little program which will take around the same time to do but hit the mid-section from more angles:

V-sits (yoga Boat pose) – 5 sets of 5 full breaths
L-sits – 6 sets of 10 seconds. You can start with your heels on the floor, but the aim is to raise the legs straight out in front during the lift
Plank – hold for as long as you can with good form
Side Plank – again hold (each side) for as long as you can in good form
And to complete the compliment – the yoga Cobra pose. Five of those slowly up as far as is comfortable. Try not to rely on arms to rise up; use your lower back.

Now – can you feel your core?

Some good exercises here. huge fan of L-sits and isometric holds in general. V-holds are good as well. Rollouts with a wheel or sliders.

Crunches and situps are pretty useless, and I never do them. Haven't in years, and I use to do hundreds and hundreds a day, with no results.

FitnessInstructorKhalil

Guys please stop saying crunches and sit ups don't work coz they do work, you need to be doing different ab exercises to keep your body guessing and gaining. When doing the crunch/ sit ups, don't go all the way down, your back should never touch the floor and you shouldn't come all the way up either. Try and keep it in the 30-60 degrees angles and engage your core the entire time. By engage i mean tighten your abs as hard as you can. You'll notice you'll do even less sit up like that and get better results ????

yogicarl

@Fitness***. Not saying crunches and sit-ups don't work - its just that there there are more efficient movements and postures that acheive results quicker. When people think of working the abs, they often just think of those two exercises and the thing is there are far more movements that are more fun and more productive for less work.

- also the posterior aspect of the core often gets left out, which is why I always throw in the Cobra pose when working the core.

kirili3

Is there any truth to the idea that they're bad for one's back? Or anyone's back?

I've been trying to do planks instead.

yogicarl

Is there any truth to the idea that they're bad for one's back? Or anyone's back?
I've been trying to do planks instead.

My angle on this is – while you are consciously engaging the front abdominals, the work is being performed by the contracting of the front abdominal wall and the lumbar region is relatively relaxed. As you become more tired, especially when going for long sets of reps as is often the tradition with situps, the abdominal contraction gets weaker and you start to lever your upper body up with your quadriceps and lower back and the back starts to hyperextend – a bit like a whiplash in slow motion, which is what you need to avoid.

Planks are more efficient and safer and engage more of the core and the body in general than sit-ups.

SezxyStef

Guys please stop saying crunches and sit ups don't work coz they do work, you need to be doing different ab exercises to keep your body guessing and gaining. When doing the crunch/ sit ups, don't go all the way down, your back should never touch the floor and you shouldn't come all the way up either. Try and keep it in the 30-60 degrees angles and engage your core the entire time. By engage i mean tighten your abs as hard as you can. You'll notice you'll do even less sit up like that and get better results ????

eh I haven't done a situp or crunch in 10 months...I still have lost weight...

They are an exercise, which is great but that being said there are better movements out there to strengthen your core...

steve0820

Guys please stop saying crunches and sit ups don't work coz they do work, you need to be doing different ab exercises to keep your body guessing and gaining. When doing the crunch/ sit ups, don't go all the way down, your back should never touch the floor and you shouldn't come all the way up either. Try and keep it in the 30-60 degrees angles and engage your core the entire time. By engage i mean tighten your abs as hard as you can. You'll notice you'll do even less sit up like that and get better results ????

I'm speaking from experience, 10+ years in Martial Arts, and thousands upon thousands of crunches/situp variations have left me with a bad back, NO core strength and certainly no 6 pack.

There are TONS of better exercises out there.

april979

Keep just your finger tips to your head, look up never down. Imagine trying to bring bottom ribs to your hip bone.inhale on way down and exhale on way up.

Sylvitryinghard

I do crunches nearly everyday to strengthen my core.
abdominal crunches
reverse crunches
bycicle crunches
planks

try to look up to the ceiling
dont pull your neck
breath right

yogicarl

Keep just your finger tips to your head, look up never down. Imagine trying to bring bottom ribs to your hip bone.inhale on way down and exhale on way up.

Placing the weight of your arms toward the end of a long lever (your spine all the way from your butt, which is the fulcrum in this exercise) and looking up - which introduces a slight hyperextension of the spine - are two things you really want to avoid when trying to keep the back out of your front abdominal work.

My prefernce would be to look toward your navel and either cross your arms over your sternum or place your hands on your hips.

- the crunch should be to literally crunch the abdomial section in a contraction rather than a lifting movement from the hips. You can virtually keep your whole spine on the floor and crunch strongly the abdominal section; which is the safest for the back in this movement.

MamaFunky

I do crunches nearly everyday to strengthen my core.
abdominal crunches
reverse crunches
bycicle crunches
planks

try to look up to the ceiling
dont pull your neck
breath right

I also enjoy doing a variety of crunches everyday. My favorites are bicycle crunches. Just make sure to have proper form and if you are fatigued...don't do them anymore. That is when form is compromised and you can injure yourself.

Plank exercises are awesome for building core strength too. There is nothing wrong with combining both, but just use proper form. Its all about personal preference and what works for you. Good luck!!

sunglasses_and_ocean_waves

Just don't get in the habit of doing 300 sit ups at once. I did that when I was prepping for a big surgery (it was stupid I know, but I needed very strong abs). Gave myself a lovely rug burn on my butt. lol

When I started working abs years ago, I could barely get through 10 crunches. Now ab work is easily my favorite. Keep at it!

Padzster

Abs are made in the kitchen

MagdaSea

Abs are made in the kitchen

You know you've got an inner fat girl when the first thing you picture is a cake with icing abs. Which isn't even a real thing. And now I just want to eat some icing.

EDIT:
Oh wait, I forgot this was the internet.

yogicarl

Abs are made in the kitchen

I hear this one quite a bit on here. While it is true that abs are REVEALED in what you do or do not eat, they are not the abs that will enable you to hold an L-sit or hold a yoga Boat pose or handstand. It appears there's aesthetics and there's functionality.

Padzster

Abs are made in the kitchen

I hear this one quite a bit on here. While it is true that abs are REVEALED in what you do or do not eat, they are not the abs that will enable you to hold an L-sit or hold a yoga Boat pose or handstand. It appears there's aesthetics and there's functionality.

Agree with you completely!

mjudd1990

Squats and deadlifts. No "ab work" holds a nickel next to those two for core strength. But regardless of whether you're doing crunches, yoga, Pilates, or compound lifts, the only way to make your abs really show up is to reduce your body fat percentage and that's done primarily through diet.

annie61702

Abs are made in the kitchen

I hear this one quite a bit on here. While it is true that abs are REVEALED in what you do or do not eat, they are not the abs that will enable you to hold an L-sit or hold a yoga Boat pose or handstand. It appears there's aesthetics and there's functionality.

Yes, I think it depends on your goal. I know I will probably never get lean enough to have a six pack (it would be nice, but not likely). But I have had back problems, so I want a strong core to prevent them. I do 75 crunches almost every day in the pursuit of that. I do like the suggestions made by yogicarl and will try those out.

Sylvitryinghard

Squats and deadlifts. No "ab work" holds a nickel next to those two for core strength. But regardless of whether you're doing crunches, yoga, Pilates, or compound lifts, the only way to make your abs really show up is to reduce your body fat percentage and that's done primarily through diet.

thing about body fat percentage is right. But I see a much better result with regular abs workout

JGonzo82

Squats and deadlifts. No "ab work" holds a nickel next to those two for core strength. But regardless of whether you're doing crunches, yoga, Pilates, or compound lifts, the only way to make your abs really show up is to reduce your body fat percentage and that's done primarily through diet.

I second this.

yogicarl

Squats and deadlifts. No "ab work" holds a nickel next to those two for core strength. But regardless of whether you're doing crunches, yoga, Pilates, or compound lifts, the only way to make your abs really show up is to reduce your body fat percentage and that's done primarily through diet.

Serious question - if I did squats and deadlifts and no ab work directly - would that help me to hold an L-sit better than if I did no Squats and Deadlifts but focussed on ab work? I feel it is still likely to be the latter of these two, but I am open to others' opinions. Not talking about seeing my 6-pack here; more talking about core strength and ability to powerfully contract.

husseycd

Serious question - if I did squats and deadlifts and no ab work directly - would that help me to hold an L-sit better than if I did no Squats and Deadlifts but focused on ab work? I feel it is still likely to be the latter of these two, but I am open to others' opinions. Not talking about seeing my 6-pack here; more talking about core strength and ability to powerfully contract.

I would say yes. I don't do a ton of yoga (we do some of the poses you mention as warm-up), but I'm an aerialist, and squats and deadlifts have improved my aerial work quite a bit. I primarily do silks in my aerial work, and core stability is essential. You certainly can't get upside down without it, and many poses/drops require it.

To the OP, I rarely do crunches and my abs are pretty defined. I've only started doing weighted cable crunches because I would like my upper abs to "pop" more. However, I just added reverse dragon flags to my routine (not quite strong enough for the full flag. Have to pike up). Holy S! Talk about a core workout. My abs were sore, like, sore to the touch sore, for 2 full days.

steve0820

Squats and deadlifts. No "ab work" holds a nickel next to those two for core strength. But regardless of whether you're doing crunches, yoga, Pilates, or compound lifts, the only way to make your abs really show up is to reduce your body fat percentage and that's done primarily through diet.

Serious question - if I did squats and deadlifts and no ab work directly - would that help me to hold an L-sit better than if I did no Squats and Deadlifts but focussed on ab work? I feel it is still likely to be the latter of these two, but I am open to others' opinions. Not talking about seeing my 6-pack here; more talking about core strength and ability to powerfully contract.

It has for me!! But I can only speak from my own experience, I don't do much direct core work, I squat and deadlift twice a week. I do L-sits and rollouts, and that's pretty much it. Once in while I'll do dragon flyes, vholds, planks, things like that.

I am able to hold l-sits for much longer and many different variations of the exercises. I pretty much exclusively do pull ups and chin ups in the L-sits position now.

kirili3

Guys please stop saying crunches and sit ups don't work coz they do work, you need to be doing different ab exercises to keep your body guessing and gaining. When doing the crunch/ sit ups, don't go all the way down, your back should never touch the floor and you shouldn't come all the way up either. Try and keep it in the 30-60 degrees angles and engage your core the entire time. By engage i mean tighten your abs as hard as you can. You'll notice you'll do even less sit up like that and get better results ????

I'm speaking from experience, 10+ years in Martial Arts, and thousands upon thousands of crunches/situp variations have left me with a bad back, NO core strength and certainly no 6 pack.

There are TONS of better exercises out there.

I'm sorry to hear this happened to you. Do coaches still make their athletes do them?

PtheronJr

Abs are like any muscle, they require resistance to grow and to gain strength, your squat goes up when your legs get stronger, and your legs get bigger as you squat more weight with a decent amount of volume. Your abs are absolutely no different, it's something I've consistently failed to understand when I see people doing a regular workout, then at the end of their workout deciding that they're going to do 50 crunches or sit-ups or leg raises with only bodyweight as a form of resistance.

There ARE ways to gain ridiculous core strength and stability, but none of those ways are done through the most basic abdominal exercises, I'm talking things like front levers, tucks, and other things that require intense practice and strength, those will do absolute wonders for your core strength and even for developing the abdominals, but they're also things that take a ton of work to actually pull off. The only reason those things work so well is because they require intense recruitment of the core and primarily use the core to move and stabilize the entire body, and not just the legs, or upper body.

Nothing as simple as the generic and typical ab workouts are going to get you anywhere with only bodyweight. Crunches, leg raises, planks and the like will give you diminishing returns very, very, very fast and will only give you anything at all if you just started out.
Weighted ab crunches, weighted sit ups, and things that greatly utilize the core for stability like front squats are the best way for people who do regular gym work (ie people who aren't gymnasts or other dynamic athletes) to gain size and strength for the abdominals.

steve0820

Guys please stop saying crunches and sit ups don't work coz they do work, you need to be doing different ab exercises to keep your body guessing and gaining. When doing the crunch/ sit ups, don't go all the way down, your back should never touch the floor and you shouldn't come all the way up either. Try and keep it in the 30-60 degrees angles and engage your core the entire time. By engage i mean tighten your abs as hard as you can. You'll notice you'll do even less sit up like that and get better results ????

I'm speaking from experience, 10+ years in Martial Arts, and thousands upon thousands of crunches/situp variations have left me with a bad back, NO core strength and certainly no 6 pack.

There are TONS of better exercises out there.

I'm sorry to hear this happened to you. Do coaches still make their athletes do them?

Yes they do. I wish they didn't, but anyone who's done Martial arts knows how rooted in tradition it is, so if something is part of the curriculum. I stopped training the past year or so, dropped by one of my old boxing clubs for a class, and we did TONS of ab work. I was at my kids Kung Fu gradding this past weekend, and same thing, part of the test was doing crunches and situps. Old habits die hard I guess.