Coulee Region Bootcamps

In last weeks post I explained why crunches should not be the primary exercise for your abs or core or whatever else you want to call it.  In fact if you never did a single crunch again I think you would be much better off. 

So how do we train our abs and get a flat tummy or six pack abs?

For one, abs exercises will not give you a six pack.  Only having low body fat accomplishes that, but we’ll save that for another blog post.

Ok, so what ab exercises should be do?

That’s why were here. Hold on to your seats.  Some of these exercises may not be new to many, but are you actually doing them?

First we have to realize the primary function of the abdominals is to prevent movement, not create movement. 

Go ahead and read that sentence again and think about it for a second. Seriously, do it. I’ll wait.  Ready?  OK.

Now we need to train the core in a way that will support its primary function. 

We accomplish that with pillars (aka planks).

Pillars incorporate your core, arms, shoulders, glutes and thighs in one exercise.  The human body love to incorporate many different body parts to accomplish a task.  Your body does not think if terms of body parts, it only knows movements. 

So know you are doing an exercise that that strengthens your core and uses more muscle groups which means more calories burned.   Score!

See the pictures below on how to do a front pillar and a side pillar. It’s pretty self explantory.  Just think straight line from head to toe.  You want to squeeze your abs and your glutes to maintain that straight line.

Front Pillar

Side Pillar

Incorporate these into your workouts and your core will thank you.

Almost everyone wants 6-pack abs or a flat abs.  For decades most people have believed that doing a few thousand crunches a day will get us a magazine model midsection.

I want to speak out against crunches.  They will not get you the tight stomach you desire.  Yet they are the go to exercise for almost all “core” training in gyms and fitness classes today.  So why does this happen?

Because people are lazy.  It’s much easier to just lay or your back and bob your head up & down.

That needs to stop now!

Here are several reasons to never do a crunch again in your life.

They are Dangerous – check out this article that mentions Stuart McGill, who is one the the worlds leading spine biomechanists.  He has been studying the spine for 30 years and has seen or recreated every injury you could imagine.  Crunches put huge shear and compressive forces on your spine.  That may be fine if you want a herniated disc, but I’ll pass.

They do not work – how many people do you know that do tons of crunches and yet do not have abs of envy. Yet they keep at it.  Ever hear the definition of insanity?  It’s doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results.  Men’s health mentioned a study that showed it takes 20,000 crunches to lose 1 pound.  20,000 crunches = 1 POUND!  That would take days to complete.  No thank you.

They are boring – have you ever tried to do a few hundred or even thousand crunches?  Laying in one spot and looking at the ceiling for a half hour doesn’t sound like my idea of a good time.  I would rather just close my eyes and take a nap.  That would be more productive than crunches.

As you lose weight crunches become less effective – the lower your bodyweight the less resistance on each crunch.  So the better fat loss results you get, the more crunches needed to get keep getting any results.  See 1^st reason above, more crunches sounds like  recipe for disaster.

Athletes do not do crunches – think of some of your favorite athletes.  Chances are they are lean and have great looking abs.  But they don’t do any crunches.  Most of them get a six pack by staying lean and doing their sport (think snowboarders and surfers) or doing anything but crunches.

So what are we supposed to do to get a sexy midsection?  Stay tuned and I will give you the best bang for your buck exercises to do just that.

Take care.