Sitting on someone's feet when they exercise

applecoralreef

Is it appropriate (as far as not injuring the person) to sit on someone's feet/ankles while they do side crunches or back raises? Can side crunches be used as a lat workout?

damedame

to answer the first part, my friend and i stood on eachothers fett during crunches. not innapropiate in my eyes

BootCampC

it depends on if you like them

tkcasta

I mean, we did it in grade school...

And agreed - so long as you like the person!

MB_Positif

Ummm...by appropriate do you mean can it cause injury to either party? I remember doing this in gym class for sit ups in like 7th grade, but haven't done it since!

gshoemaker06

Yes, I like feet on my bum

drmerc

Only if you want to make their feet smell like *kitten*

BSchoberg

Um... do C crunches and get a MUCH better ab workout!

glenette1

In order to do a crunch effectively and not strain your back your feet should not need help to stay down and your lower back should maintain contact with the floor/mat at all times to keep your lower abs engaged and your spine stabilized. If you can't keep the rest of your body still while performing a crunch then your abs aren't strong enough for a crunch and you should start with other stabilizing exercises like abdominal bracing, posterior pelvic tilts, or dying bug exercises until you can do a crunch properly. Otherwise, you will inflict damage to your lower spine over time and not truly be getting the abdominal gains you hope for.. When the feet come up it's a sign the abdominal muscles are either not strong enough or not isolated enough to perform the exercise and the hip flexors kick in to help/compensate. Good luck!!!

And yes, there is an exercise called the dying bug (google it). We use it in our clinic all the time as a beginner exercise for people just starting an abdominal program. Good luck!!

applecoralreef

Thank you, and this is what I thought the answer would be. What about doing a side crunch as a lat exercise? Does that work, or does that mean the wrong muscle group is being engaged?

glenette1

Your lats bring your arm back to your body (lat pull down) or reverse action by bringing the body closer to the arm (pull up action). A side crunch is not going to move one end of the muscle on the other as it attaches to the humerus (therefore the arm must change position in relation to the body or vice versa). If you want to specifically work your lats I suggest lat pull downs or pull ups.