I mean it…there is no need for you to do crunches! Crunches are not worth your time, and can actually injure you.
“Except wait, I want 6 pack abs!” you exclaim.
My response is: “Are you planning to strut around in your bikini at a fitness model convention and need every ripple in your rectus abdominis to pop out like a washboard?”
Since the posture geek followers don’t usually fall into the “fitness model” category (I sure don’t look like one), then I can repeat myself. There is no need to do millions of crunches. You can get beautiful flat abs without them.
This applies to everyone, especially if you sit even half of the day, type on a computer, or text on a mobile device. This applies even more sto anyone who hasn’t exercised regularly in a while.
Let me tell you a personal story…
Since becoming a blogger, I spend more time sitting at my desk than I used to. I have a sit/stand desk, and I use it in both modes. When I do sit, I sit at a ball chair. I do stretches and exercises to counteract my computer work. Even with all these tools to assist me, I sometimes still find my head tilting forward and my shoulders rounding more than I would like.
Well, the other day I subbed a “mat pilates” class, one that I rarely teach these days. My studio clients don’t ever do crunches, instead we do a ton of other core exercises to help them achieve results. However, for this class I was subbing, I wanted to teach what they were used to, so I taught a lot of crunch type movements in order to keep their class similar to their regular instructor.
What did I experience after all these crunching movements? Yup, a strained neck. I was out of the practice of teaching this particular movement, I had come to class straight from my laptop, and I just wasn’t being mindful.
I felt better 2 days later… but if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone! I often wonder, how many people, who are coming from desk jobs, do this movement and hurt themselves just like I did?
So, why are crunches so bad for you? What should you do instead?
This article I wrote for this this amazing website will give you all the information you need. It gives you the science behind my conclusions, and suggestions on what you can do to train those core muscles for a stronger back and leaner body.
Check out the The Health Science Journal website and let me know what you think in the comments below.
