As a guy who goes to a gym pretty regularly, some things never change.
It doesn’t matter what gym it is. You see people lying on their backs performing 100’s of sit-ups, crunches, trunk twists, and goofy windshield wipers.
ENOUGH OF THIS CRAP!!!
They don’t create usable abs. Also, they’ve been proven to age your body, specifically your lower back.
5 Reasons Why You Should Never Do Sit-Ups, Crunches, and Trunk Twists Again
1. Sit-ups and crunches increase low back stress by 300x or more
It has been found that sit-ups place over 3,000 newtons of force on the lower spine, specifically the disc. Every rep causes the cartilage in the disc to stretch abnormally.
Repeating this stretching force onto the disc cartilage over and over 100’s of times a week is going to ultimately wear out and weaken the disc.
This will lead to possible disc herniation, which is the #1 injury to the lower back.
2. The spine, specifically the low back, has a shelf life
The spine will only be able to flex forward, bend sideways, and rotate back and forth so many times in your life. Don’t use up movements performing actions like sit-ups, crunches, and twists. These movements create avoidable stress and will lead to early aging of the lower spine and cervical spine.
3. Crunches reinforce bad posture
Place yourself in a chair and slump over. Is that the posture you want??
I doubt it.
However, that is exactly what crunches and sit-ups replicate.
Forward head, rounded shoulders, flexed low back with no butt activation. Seriously, you don’t want to help father time accelerate these postures.
4. Crunches and sit-ups are artificial movements that our body doesn’t recognize as normal movements
Yes, it contracts your abs (specifically the rectus abdominus). However, once you stop, it won’t remember or use the abs like that in real life. The abs are designed to dynamically stabilize the low back or decelerate it from moving beyond its functional range of motion limits.
Sit-ups force your abs to contract while causing your spine to flex repeatedly. That is not how your abs are wired to work. Essentially, you’re teaching your body movements that are not part of the movement plan.
5. Crunches and sit-ups don’t work to obtain what 99% of those people doing them want from them
Why do you do sit-ups?? To create a flat stomach and a 6-pack … am I correct??
A cosmetic 6-pack comes from having a flat stomach and eliminating excess fat around your midsection. A functional 6-pack comes from great transverse and oblique muscle activity. Not rectus abdominus activity.
Sit-ups, twists and crunches primarily hit your rectus abdominis and, as a result, create a protruding stomach. Try preventing your stomach from protruding when you do a sit up. You can’t! Therefore, your 100 sit-ups/day are encouraging a protruding stomach.
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