Reason #3: Crunches and crunch variations only work a very small percentage of the superficial muscles in the abdomen.
There are many layers of muscle in the abdominal cavity. And the most important layers in which to develop a good base of strength are the deepest muscles. This is because the deep ab muscles help to protect the lower back, and they help to form the protective, invisible muscular "corset" surrounding the organs and the spine.
Crunch-type exercises do nothing to stimulate this extremely important deep layer! They suck!
Yes, we want to make sure the superficial layer of abdominal muscles is also strong... but it is essential to strengthen the innermost muscles FIRST. If the deep muscles are weak, but the superficial muscles are strong, injury is almost imminent.
Also, exercises that stimulate the superficial muscles are not very intense. They burn little calories. They have little effect on the metabolism.
On the other hand, exercises that target the deep, inner abdominal muscles are generally more intense. They generally involve more than just the abdominal muscles. Therefore, those exercises not only improve abdominal strength, but they help to create a pretty hefty metabolic disturbance in the body... which will help with fat loss!
The PLANK, some pushups, relatively heavy squats, and this exercise (below) will help activate and strengthen the deep muscles!
Another crunch-replacement exercise: TUCK-UPS on BALL
... assume a pushup position, shins on a stability ball, hips open & stomach tight
... keeping the shoulders directly over the wrists, tuck the knees into the chest, then return to a straight body position with control
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2 comments:
Can you give an example of a workout routine for abs using that exercise, with number of sets and repetitions please?
Thanks.
Well, Henrique -
1) You could superset the Tuck Ups with one other exercise for about 3 sets, with 30 sec to 1 min of rest in between exercises. I'd recommend 10-15 reps to start... but you can always add more, if needed.
Since Tuck Ups involve a pushing motion, your 2nd exercise in the superset could be a lower body movement (like barbell back squats, walking lunges, leg press, step ups, etc. etc) or a pulling movement (like row variations, pullups, etc).
2) You could add the Tuck Ups to an existing superset... to make it a tri-set of sorts. Remember to control your rest periods to keep the intensity up.
3) You could use the Tuck Ups in a circuit format w/ 3-4 other exercises, and perform them for time (say 30 sec, 45 sec, or 1 min). No rest b/w exercises to make the circuit nice and challenging :)
As you can see, I like to add abdominal exercises into the workout... not isolate the exercises on their own.
Thanks for the question - and let me know how it goes!
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