This is part of the Real Talk With Client Series. Click here for the rules. Go here to see other topics.
Should I do crunches?
No.
You can go into the rabbit hole of,
- are crunches dangerous for the lower back
- how much compression crunches put on the spinal discs
- just because you work your stomach doesn’t mean you’ll lose fat from your stomach
but there’s no need for all that.
On average, we sit in a chair, hunched over, like this a lot:
A great way to keep the body loose and healthy is to not move it the same way too much. We don’t need more of the bring-your-shoulders-to-your-knees-motion:
Crunch image from Skimble.
Most, if anything, are trying to have a less rounded upper back. So why do an exercise that rounds the upper back?
When you already crunch all day, there’s no need to do more of it in the gym. Exercise should be when you move your body differently than you do all day. Not the same!
Posted in: 60 Seconds Or Less, Pain
Lucas
April 29, 2019
What do you recommend instead?
b-reddy
April 30, 2019
Because people spend so much time sitting, hunched over, twisting like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLM0uqEwHmI
I like to largely flip that. I like to get people’s spines fairly straight, and work on preventing twisting or rounding over.
Ab Punchout (“Pallof Press”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3siU3GmosE
More info: https://b-reddy.org/another-better-pallof-press-variation/
Planks and all their variations are another go-to. I’ll bring people’s elbows in and flip the hands, reversing a good deal of how people type (elbows out; hands down): https://b-reddy.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/plank-good-from-top-shoulder-lines.jpg
More info: https://b-reddy.org/arm-positioning-during-the-plank-exercise/
A more subtle one is something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJGdjsmlqbQ
Idea there is the spine stays still while the hip moves. With people who’ve spent a lot of time sitting, they tend to get very good at moving their spine to twist, rather than their limbs. So that exercise flips it.