The truth is that you can do as many crunches as you want, but unless your food is complimentary to your workouts, you’ll never see the desired result. The human body is not designed to “Spot Reduce.” In other words, if you’re trying to lose inches off your midsection, crunching 300 times per day will not get you closer to your goal. It will only make your abdominals burn.
The abdominal muscles support the lower back. People with weak abdominal muscles tend to suffer from back pain. Traditional sit-ups (where the feet are anchored and the upper body is lifted from a reclining position) don’t work the correct muscles, so the abdominal muscles that support the spine remain weak.
Just because an exercise burns or hurts does not mean it’s healthy for you. I ask people if they got punched in the stomach, would it hurt? Most common answer? YES! Does that mean that it’s good for my abs just because it hurts? Answer? NO !!
A violent, poorly performed movement of the trunk can strain the abdominal muscles. Other common causes of strains include overstretching or overusing the muscles. Strains of the abdominal muscles are painful and difficult to manage if they occur close to the ribs or hip bone. Prevention strategies include regular stretching, warming up prior to exercise and cooling down afterwards, and keeping good form while playing sports. Research shows that performing abdominal exercises slowly (such as one repetition per two or three seconds) uses the stabilizing muscles more than if the same exercises are performed quickly (such as one repetition per second).
The six-pack look is purely aesthetic and the best way to reveal your six-pack is to focus more on what you eat than how many crunches you can do.
Greg Popp is the co-owner and president of Core Solutions Inc. Fitness Training Center in Westbrook. To contact Greg call 854-5200 ext #1.