With summer around the corner, many of us begin to incorporate more core exercises into our fitness routine. But dropping down into a set of crunches without taking the time to really focus on form can do more harm than good.
Crunches are one of the most popular core exercises. They’re featured in almost every kind of full-body workout from HIIT-style bootcamp to Pilates. And they are easy to do anywhere without any equipment.
But the moves popularity also gives many people a false sense of confidence when doing them. In reality, they’re one of the exercises that I see performed incorrectly most often.
If you finish a round of crunches and feel a tension or ache in your neck, it’s a good sign you aren’t performing the move properly. Mastering the correct form not only will prevent you from straining your neck and causing pain and injury, but it will ensure you get the best workout from your crunches.
Crunches vs. sit ups: Which one’s a better workout?
Sometimes I’m asked if a crunch or a sit up is a better workout. The truth is that many people perform sit ups incorrectly, too. Heaving forward and overusing the low back or shoulders is a common mistake people make because they’re using momentum to sit up. It’s very challenging to use the abs and core correctly to do a proper sit up.
Therefore, I recommend that people start with a crunch. Perform a crunch without any neck pain first. Build your core strength. Then, you can move on to a sit up or a modified sit up. I’d rather you do an exercise correctly than do a more advanced exercise incorrectly.
Ultimately, a sit up does work more of the core than a crunch, but the likelihood of performing a sit up correctly compared to a crunch is lower!
What does a crunch do for the body?
Strengthening your core with crunches can improve overall core muscle function, and this can help improve sport performance and promote balance and stabilization in other exercises you perform. They also help improve…
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