Do crunches really work?

Kforest0714
Kforest0714 Posts: 93 Member
edited September 25 in Fitness and Exercise
Do they really work to flatten your tummy? What about the lower pooch from a csection?

Replies

  • Kforest0714
    Kforest0714 Posts: 93 Member
    BUmp
  • cheshirequeen
    cheshirequeen Posts: 1,324 Member
    it builds muscle but you wont see the muscle until you get rid of the fat. i have great muscle tone behind my fat haha. i do cardio crunches dvds. ones that work your abs standing up, zumba is what i religiously.
  • jmafte
    jmafte Posts: 46
    You can have the most defined abs in the world, but if they're covered in body fat no one will see them. If you're asking if doing those things flattens your belly in respects to making you lose fat in that specific area, the answer is no. You cannot target where on your body you lose fat.
  • Angel1029
    Angel1029 Posts: 459
    Crunches don't work to flatten your tummy! You have to clean up your diet, what you eat is most important. You have to burn the fat off, burn fat by doing HIIT (high intensity interval training) and strength training and be consistent.

    Good luck
  • AHealthierRhonda
    AHealthierRhonda Posts: 881 Member
    According to Jillian Michaels you need to do more than crunches. Reverse crunches work the "pooch area". Bicycle situps work the upper lower and sides at once. Of course you need cardio to burn through the fat too! Dealing with all this now!
  • savlyon
    savlyon Posts: 474 Member
    They say with zumba the first thing to go is your muffin top. I think so. I've been doing zumba since January and my middle section is definitely toning and tightening.

    It also helps to do weight lifting off the machines (Body Pump?) That forces you to tighten your core as you lift, so it's like a bonus! :)
  • marmite230
    marmite230 Posts: 32
    I never do crunches. They can give a "doming" effect on the tummy if your body fat isnt low enough making you look fatter.
    I stick to hanging knee raises, horizantal leg raises and a couple of twisting excersizes. Cunches are a way way over rated.
  • scagneti
    scagneti Posts: 707 Member
    Crunches will give you washboard abs. Sadly most people have a big pile of dirty laundry on there.
  • DimenaZhena
    DimenaZhena Posts: 102
    Cardio, cardio, cardio.... strength train your tummy, but focus on wittling the fat away in order to see the results.
  • Aintplayin
    Aintplayin Posts: 102
    They say with zumba the first thing to go is your muffin top. I think so. I've been doing zumba since January and my middle section is definitely toning and tightening.

    It also helps to do weight lifting off the machines (Body Pump?) That forces you to tighten your core as you lift, so it's like a bonus! :)

    Because of this, I'm gonna Zumba ASAP!!! It looks like soooo much fun and I have yet to hear anything bad about it.
  • jsmjboertlein
    jsmjboertlein Posts: 267
    bump for me later
  • HolleeERL
    HolleeERL Posts: 313 Member
    Crunches do nothing for the lower abdomen. Bicycles (as mentioned above) or "in & outs" and leg raises work well. I was reading on another board that good old push-ups are best for the abdomen area since it is a core exercise. Do enough regular push-ups (not bent knee) and you will feel it in your abs all the way around. Also as mentioned above, you won't see the results unless you lose the fat that surrounds your abs. This is the first place I gain and the last place I lose so I'm targeting this area as well. Good luck!
  • mae3785
    mae3785 Posts: 40 Member
    I never do crunches. They can give a "doming" effect on the tummy if your body fat isnt low enough making you look fatter.
    I stick to hanging knee raises, horizantal leg raises and a couple of twisting excersizes. Cunches are a way way over rated.

    I agree. Crunches often tend to also be very uncomfortable. If you have an iPhone I recommend downloading the Nike Personal Trainer app. They have (IMO) a great 15 minutes ab workout that doesn't involve crunches.
  • nicolepope11
    nicolepope11 Posts: 56
    You need to do a combination of cardio (to burn fat) and strength (to build muscle). Crunches fall into the strength training section. You can't spot where you will have weight loss, so you need total body.
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