Need alternative to Crunches

cherylseptember wrote: »

After back surgery my neurosurgeon told me to never do crunches again. What are the best ab workouts that don’t involve crunches?

Crunches and situps are probably the worst "ab" exercises you could possibly do.

Flutter kicks
leg lifts
hanging leg lifts
ab roller
planks

Lots of options.

I can’t do crunches either. You can google “standing ab exercises” to get some good alternatives.

Theoldguy1 wrote: »

These are fun, you can start with 2 balls:

https://youtu.be/qjZuoKtI3Xc

Well, now I know what I'm going to try on Monday morning

Theoldguy1 wrote: »

aokoye wrote: »

Theoldguy1 wrote: »

These are fun, you can start with 2 balls:

https://youtu.be/qjZuoKtI3Xc

Well, now I know what I'm going to try on Monday morning

LOL. report back. I have challenges with my shoulders so I don't a bunch of these done, but seeing some improvement.

I'll try to remember to! I think I might try to do them without balls (so essentially just moving around in an arch in a high plank position) tomorrow at home as I figure that will be test as to whether or not I can do the movement on a solid platform as it were. That said, I'm all about fun but challenging core workouts.

Here's something else you can try that is great for the core and very functional, get back ups:

https://youtu.be/o0_DoicHg2E

I suggest the FitOn app. Free workout app and there is a ton of different ab videos

cherylseptember wrote: »

fitnessboxermfp wrote: »

Balance and stability exercises. Place an emphasis on enhancing core strength. You have stated that you have had a back injury so I imagine that flexion and extension is an issue? What about anti rotation exercises like the Pallof Press. There are multiple regressions and progressions but I would not just simply want to give you an exercise without knowing why your neurosurgeon told you to avoid.

He told me to avoid anything that bends my body like a crunch does. It rules out a lot of yoga and Pilates unfortunately. Yoga was really helpful to me prior to my surgery. He did not say anything about rotating the trunk, so I feel like that would be fine.

Can you consult with a physical therapist? You probably need to talk to an expert who understands you're medical condition and can consult with the doctor regarding appropriate activity.

One needs to be careful, rotation at the same time as flexation (like a crunch) can be hard on a healthy back. Good luck.

SnifterPug wrote: »

Paloff press should be good. One thing I do is adopt a straight arm plank position but with hands on the bar of a Smith machine so there is some elevation. Set the height as you see fit. Brace the whole body and then tap the opposite shoulder with one hand while keeping everything else motionless. The first couple of reps feel way, way too easy but by the time I get to 10 I can really feel my core working.

For all of the criticism, the Smith Machine is a great tool for modifying resistance levels for exercises like push ups and planks.

I hired one of the trainers at my gym to help me develop a weight workout plan. I have back issues, and he gave me an alternative to crunches that does engage my core. I'll try to explain it; ask your doctor before starting.

Lie on your back, and lift both legs so that your thighs are perpendicular to the floor, knees bent so your calves are parallel to the floor. Engage the small of your back into the floor, and pay attention to that. Then SLOWLY lower one leg until your heel touches the floor, then SLOWLY raise it back to the original position, then do the same with the other leg. Repeat to the number of reps that is your goal, and do a couple more sets. I also do plank.

My back issues have not required surgery. I don't know whether or not this exercise would be appropriate for you. It works for me.

Anyone have a name for this exercise?

Theoldguy1 wrote: »

aokoye wrote: »

Theoldguy1 wrote: »

These are fun, you can start with 2 balls:

https://youtu.be/qjZuoKtI3Xc

Well, now I know what I'm going to try on Monday morning

LOL. report back. I have challenges with my shoulders so I don't a bunch of these done, but seeing some improvement.

Hard, very hard. Hard enough that it's embarrassing to try in front of people. I think part of the issue is that the finger that in injured in Sept was acting up, but also it's just hard. I was able to do two balls fairly close to each other, so that's a win given that I'd never done something like that before.

I second the hanging knee raises if you can do it. Ultimate burn in the ab muscles.

mtaratoot wrote: »

I hired one of the trainers at my gym to help me develop a weight workout plan. I have back issues, and he gave me an alternative to crunches that does engage my core. I'll try to explain it; ask your doctor before starting.

Lie on your back, and lift both legs so that your thighs are perpendicular to the floor, knees bent so your calves are parallel to the floor. Engage the small of your back into the floor, and pay attention to that. Then SLOWLY lower one leg until your heel touches the floor, then SLOWLY raise it back to the original position, then do the same with the other leg. Repeat to the number of reps that is your goal, and do a couple more sets. I also do plank.

My back issues have not required surgery. I don't know whether or not this exercise would be appropriate for you. It works for me.

Anyone have a name for this exercise?

It’s one of the various forms of a dead bug. Another version is to lower the opposite arm at the same time you lower the leg. You can hold weights in the arms for more challenge.

Dead bugs are a great exercise to learn to engage the core and maintain a pelvic tilt during movement. Maintaining that tilt is a key, however. If you don’t remain engaged the entire movement, then you are just flopping around.

One small recommendation—most instructions I have read do not recommend touching the floor with the foot. That provides a mini “rest break” and you really want to maintain tension. Mostly, however, the more you lower the leg, the harder it is to maintain your pelvic tilt (that’s how the exercise is designed). Some people will lose form if they lower the leg too far.

Using “touching the floor” as an endpoint makes that the target for everyone, which is not the goal of the exercise. The goal is to lower the leg as much as possible *while maintaining the pelvic tilt”. For some, that might mean down to 1/2 inch off the floor, for others 12 inches.

But, in general, I think dead bugs are a key foundational exercise for doing any core work.

@azdak: "dead bugs" is a great exercise description, I think.

So: what's so bad about crunches? I've been doing them for years without problems. I was taught (by some abs video in the 90s) to keep my back flat on the floor (no space) and do a wide variety of them, some where you elevate your legs, some where you elevate your head, some where elevate both (e.g., "dead bugs"). I never felt that any of these were very hard on the back.

More difficult is a straight leg lift, which I worked up to a minute at one point. I also do side leg lifts (which are more of a "C" done at about a 45 degree angle). These are harder on the back and need to be worked up to slowly. (And are probably not good if you have back issues.)

I was also taught to do front and side planks. I find both to be pretty hard on the back and hard in general. I also found side planks to be hard on my shoulder and stopped doing them at one point, favoring other oblique exercises.

For me, December and January are good times to think about indoor exercises, including core. I'm ready to learn some new tricks!