This week I chose to repost an entry from several months ago regarding crunches. Ryan Owen, a certified strength coach and personal trainer, recently published a blog sharing new research that supports our “no crunch” rule. The researcher, Dr. Stuart McGill, is a well-respected researcher on spinal biomechanics. Dr. McGill recommends removing all crunches and situps from your exercise routine. I was lucky enough to learn about the detrimental effects of crunches while shadowing my own mentor, Lynda Head. However, I do believe that functionally speaking, as a human being you do need to be able to situp from a laying position in everyday life. And thus, I do include full situps occasionally in classes. But, as the fitness world continues to grow and evolve I too grow and evolve and I will continue to change my practice to reflect solid, current research. Read the article below:
http://ryanowen.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/no-more-crunches/
REPOST:
If you have ever trained with me or taken one of my classes you have probably noticed we rarely do crunches. Yet open any health and fitness magazine and you see this exercise demonstrated time and again. So why do I not utilize this exercise more often? The fact is, I don’t like them. And here’s why: most people spend all day sitting at a desk in front of a computer. Are you sitting up nice and tall, shoulders rolled back, head held high? Of course not! You are probably like me – the longer you sit the more you slouch. The shoulders roll forward, the spine sags and effectively you are in a perma-crunch.
Source: www.dizzy-dee.com/health/straighten-up
So why would you go to the gym and simply exacerbate the problem by doing crunches, which pretty much reinforce that position for your spine and anterior (in the front) ab muscles? Your core actually contains 27 muscles and includes not only your typical “6 pack” abs, but also muscles in your pelvic floor and back. Most people need exercises to strengthen these underutilized muscles and stretch the front of their body, including muscles in the stomach and chest. Try adding these exercises to your routine for a well-balanced core:
The Plank – Planks are one of my favorite exercises. Not only do they challenge almost all the muscles in the body, there are countless variations, including twisting planks and side planks, that you can perform to make them more or less difficult for your ability:
Plank
Cobra/Back extension – Use this exercise to strengthen the muscles along the spine. The most important part is to really turn your palms outward pointing your thumbs toward the ceiling and opening the chest:
Cobra
Bird Dog
Situp – I am a fan of the good old-fashioned situp. You have to be able to sit up from a laying position in everday life so it is a more functional exercise than a crunch and takes your body through a fuller range of motion. Find a partner and add a medicine ball with a ball pass for added difficulty:
Sit up
Bridge – Like the plank, there are many variations of hip bridges to help strengthen the glutes, hamstrings and lower back muscles:
Hip Bridge (courtesy www.yogajournal.com)
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