Old School Ab Exercise-Effective Or Dangerous?
What are the best ab exercises to develop six pack abs? The answer to this question seems to be forever changing. For example, the sit-up has completely fallen out of favor by the fitness community. In fact, the majority of fitness experts now declare that sit-ups are incredibly dangerous to you spine. Where was this opinion born? Did countless trainees injure their spines from performing this “treacherous” exercise? Luckily for most of us, that is not the case.
The “sit-ups are unsafe” chant that can be heard echoing throughout fitness centers all over the world was actually born in the lab. Studies have found that sit-ups stress the spine more than the crunch does. And? Taking a nap will stress the spine even less than crunched do. Is napping a better ab exercise than crunches? You can see how the stress argument is seriously flawed. Every exercise that you perform creates some stress on the body. It is that stress that encourages our body to adapt and get stronger. This is the very nature of exercise.
Let’s take a closer look at the sit up. The sit-up involves the hip flexor musculature to finish the movement. Since the hip flexors originate on the spine, it makes sense that sit-ups do stress the spine to some degree. Is this stress dangerous? Does this stress lead to injuries? Do the sit-up critics have a point?
Taking into account that sit-ups have been performed by professional athletes and fitness buffs for decades without problems, it is clear there is no need to “press the panic button” when someone cranks out a few sit-ups. To further put your mind at ease, I can assure you that after 16 years as a fitness expert, I have never seen someone get hurt while doing a sit up variation.
Even after convincing trainers that sit-ups are not as dangerous as they are claimed to be, many still opt for crunches instead. Now I have nothing against the crunch but sit-ups do have some advantages over the crunch. Let’s see why.
It is a fact that your abs only produces movement during the bottom of a sit-up. Once your spine is flexed and you’re in the top portion of a crunch, your hip flexors are activated. From this point on, the hip flexors are what finishes the exercise. Although the abs don’t produce movement in the top range, they are still working like crazy. This must not be overlooked. The abs continue to contract isometrically (contracting to maintain a joint angle, not move it). This isometric contraction increases the work the abs does, thus leading to a positive response.
Something else to consider is that the sit-up burns more calories than crunches do. Working through a larger range of motion and integrating other muscles besides the abs, makes this possible. Remember, training your abs directly is only half the equation to having a six pack. The other part to this is reducing body fat to unveil your stomach. Burning additional calories will help contribute to this.
Although the sit up is not the greatest ab exercise, I do personally recommend sit ups from time to time to any individual who fits the “sit up” criteria. The criteria are simple: no pre-existing back problems, and a solid base of abdominal strength. Couple that with proper form, and you will not have any problems!
Filed under: Training