Starrfall on 10/9/2008 at 23:39
Yeah, core development is important but if all you're doing is crunches you're not really developing your core - they just work your rectus abdominis and there are like five other muscle groups.
I'll add to heywood's list and make some of them simpler. You probably shouldn't be bothering with ankle weights unless you know your stabilizer muscles are in decent shape, unless you like potential joint pain. And you shouldn't be doing good mornings (bending over forward with a bar on your shoulders) unless you know wtf you're doing.
You should try stringing sets of these into a circuit, so for example you'd do exercise A for 1 minute, rest for 30 seconds, exercise B for one minutes, rest for thirty seconds, etc. Adjust the times to fit how macho you are.
-Yoga plank position, slowly touch alternating knees to the ground.
-Side plank (each side duh)
-Sculling situps (from the internet: " Like a normal sit up, but now you keep your legs off the ground at all times. Start with your legs out straight but off the ground a couple inches and your back the same. Bring your back up like you would in a sit-up, but at the same time bring your legs up to your chest. It'll probably take you a bit to get the timing/balance right (it varies for every body type, so there's no set rule for this), but once you do, it's a good free exercise that works the stabilizers as well."
-Bicycle crunches
-Supermans
-Leglifts (Lie on your back, put your hands flat on the ground under your but to help stabilize your back. Slowly lift straightened legs to about a 45 degree angle and lower.)
-Scissors (do the same as above, only lift until your feet are about a foot off the ground and then cross them back and forth over each other)
-V leglifts (same as above only lift your legs to 45 degrees and also to one side, then down to center, then up to other side like a V)
-Leg circles (same as above but you're making a big circle with your feet)
-Flutters (same as above only lift your feet about a foot up and then kick like you're swimming)
-boring old situps (find something heavy to put on your feet - a couch usually works as long as it's not TOO heavy)
-clap pushups (do a push up. When in the up position, lift up one hand and reach it out in front of you - as if you were actually clapping your hands in front of your face, but just with one hand. If you don't keep your shoulders level you are failing. Do more and alternate hands.)
-Wheelbarrows (Requires partner! Get set up like you're in a wheelbarrow race (partner holding your ankles on either side of his hips) Your partner's job is to without warning drop one of your feet (and then to keep going, trying to mix it up so you can't guess). Your job is to not let your lower body move - including the foot your partner lets go of - your core keeps you absolutely stable. Many people have such weak cores that they fail MISERABLY the first time they try this - like "jam their toes right into the ground under the weight of their big asses" miserable)
I have more but I'm kind of getting tired of writing them so maybe later!
Taffer36 on 10/9/2008 at 23:57
At the local gym I usually hold a weight and do situps on one of the incline benches. Because you're working against gravity AND holding a weight, it seems to work your abs more than any amount of normal crunches could. Obviously if you just want to do it at your house, grabbing some sort of heavy object (I only use about 30 lbs) and using a set of stairs as the incline should do the same thing.
I'm no expert, of course, but this is what I do. And I do know that doing less with more resistance is better than doing more with less resistance.
Thirith on 11/9/2008 at 08:29
Thanks for the updates.
Taffer36 (and others): I was under the impression that fewer reps with more resistance builds muscles while more reps with less resistance builds stamina. At the moment I'm doing both the 3x100 crunches in the morning and 3x12 slow crunches on an incline in the evening on every 2nd day. Does this make sense?
Second question: I've heard that sit-ups can be problematic for the back and that crunches do the same (and more) with more efficiency. Is this true?
heywood on 11/9/2008 at 13:07
Almost every abdominal exercise involves muscles pulling in a way that compresses the spine. The spine is providing the resistance that the muscles pull against. Ditto for most back exercises.
If you want to work the ab muscles through a full range of motion, then you will also be changing the angle between the legs and torso, which brings in the hip flexors. One of the hip flexors attaches to the lumbar vertebrae and pulls against that. So sit-ups, leg lifts, and other exercises that work both the abs and the hip flexors together will concentrate pressure on the discs in your lower back.
If you have any sort of back problems or notice lower back pain after doing ab exercises, then you shouldn't do sit-ups or leg lifts or other exercises that work these muscle groups simultaneously. In that case, you're better off doing crunches/curl-ups or other mostly isometric exercises that target the abs only. But you should still incorporate a variety of exercises to cover all the core muscles.
Regarding the reps - it depends on what you're trying to achieve and how healthy your back is. For most people, building core strength is the primary objective, so doing a lot of reps is wasteful. But for distance runners, stamina is more important. Also, the more reps you do, the more you're compressing your spine. So if you are doing exercises like sit-ups, keep the number of reps to a minimum and make each one count.
Thirith on 11/9/2008 at 13:18
Cool, thanks for the info. My back's a bit of a problem actually - I had herniated disks when I was in my mid-20s. Ever since I had an operation it's been okay, but I've been working on getting some back muscles, because as a student and office worker I practically had none.
Since I had the herniated disk thing when I was fairly young, it's likely that my disks are shoddy workmanship to begin with, but I've definitely got more back strength now thanks to working out. I've been having less and less back pains compared to, say, five or six years ago.
heywood on 12/9/2008 at 14:53
In that case, I gave you some bad suggestions in my first post. Sorry about that. With a history of back problems, I would consider Pilates. You could start by getting a fitness ball and a Pilates video for home, or find a class in a local gym.
Matthew on 15/9/2008 at 13:44
I think I'm in love.
