Back to Basics Move of the Week - The Crunch

The first thing everyone thinks of about working the ab area is – gonna get a six pack! However, it is more important to work the abs to – get a strong core!

Strong core muscles lead to better balance and stability in our everyday activities as well as in sports or in the gym. Weak core muscles can lead to poor posture, lower back pain and muscle injuries. Regardless of age or fitness level, anyone can begin core training at any time in their life and reap the benefits.

One of the first exercises everyone learns in gym class is ab crunches. Crunches are relatively easy to do compared to other similar exercises, and they require no equipment; but you can make them more challenging by adding resistance or performing them on a ball.

The abdominal crunch is considered a "core strengthening" exercise, because it strengthens the base, or core, sets of abdominal and back muscles that promote good posture and minimize the risk of injury, says Matthew McDonald, author of "Your Body: The Missing Manual." Crunch exercises are safer than sit-ups for your back, and they are recommended for beginners who are just starting an abdominal exercise regimen.

Make sure you use proper form while doing crunches and sit-ups. These exercises engage muscles called hip flexors, which run from your thighs to the front of your lumbar spine in your lower back. Improper form can overwork and tighten the hip flexors and cause lower-back pain.

One of the first exercises everyone learns in gym class is ab crunches. Crunches are relatively easy to do compared to other similar exercises, and they require no equipment, but you can make them more challenging by adding resistance or performing them on a ball.

BASIC CRUNCHES

Basic Crunch: Click here for a demonstration of the proper form for a basic crunch. 

Reverse Crunch: Focus on rectus abdominis. You will feel this one in the lower abs. 

Double Crunch: Works your upper and lower ab muscles because you are lifting both the upper and lower portion of your body.

Oblique Crunch: Works the rectus abdominis, the external and internal obliques - helps to get rid of those love handles.

Frog Crunch: Works rectus abdominis. See a visual description here.

FROG CRUNCH

                     

Ab-solutely!

It is important to have a strong core. Every day we use our core to help stabilize us when we lift, bend and stretch our way through normal activities. If our core isn’t strong, it doesn’t take much to feel a painful pull – one wrong turn and – ouch! A strong core means both strong abs and back – especially the lower back. So today we are going to focus on exercises to work those muscles and hopefully eliminate the “ouch”.

You can perform these exercises as a circuit, moving from one to another, without rest, until 1 set of each is complete. Or you can perform these as straight sets, completing all sets of one exercise before moving to the next.

If you want to add some cardio and turn this into a fat burning circuit, add 30 seconds of one of these exercises between rounds: mountain climbers, jump squats, jumping jacks

Perform 15-20 reps of each exercise

Vertical Leg Crunch (use weight for advanced move)

Seated Knee Tuck (modify it by placing hands close to hips for stabilization)

Mason Twist

Plank

Supermans

AB CHALLENGE

Virtually all physical activity and exercise incorporates the core muscles. Everything from standing, to bending down, to power lifting - all use the four muscle groups of the core. Strengthening our core muscles will improve posture, balance, physical performance and decrease lower back pain.

This month, we are challenging you to an Ab Challenge, to motivate you to strengthen the powerhouse of your body, your core. Attempt to do 1200 reps, of various ab exercises, by the end of August.

Below are four exercises to get you started.

Scissor Kick

Target Muscles: rectus abdominis (lower portion)

Prep: Lie face up on a mat. Place your hands underneath your lower back or extend them along the sides of your body. Keeping your legs straight, raise them a few inches from the ground.

Action: Slowly cross one leg overtop of the other in a scissoring motion, keeping them lifted from the ground at all times. One motion with each leg counts as one repetition. Aim for 15 to 20 reps.

Plank

Target Muscles: transverse abdominis

Prep: From a facedown position on the mat, lift your hips from the ground to support your body weight between your forearms and your toes, aligning your elbows beneath your shoulders.

Action: Hold body, in this straight line, for as long as possible. Do not allow stomach to droop, or butt to rise above body alignment.

Jack-knife

Target Muscles: Rectus abdominis

Prep: Sit on floor or mat. Lie face up with hands to sides.

Action: Simultaneously raise knees and torso until hips and knees are flexed. Return to starting position with waist, hips and knees extended. Repeat for 15-20 reps.

Heel Touches

Target Muscles: Obliques

Prep: Lie on back with knees bent and hands at your sides.

Action: Contract abs and lift shoulder 3” off the floor. Reach to one side and touch your heel, the repeat on the other side. Continuing alternating for 15-20 reps per side.

To see these exercises in action, please click the link below.

http://www.workoutz.com/category/ab_exercises

A Creative Core Circuit

Are you tired of the traditional ab/core exercises? Try this circuit from Oxygen Mag - this core circuit does double duty; it works the glutes and thighs in addition to your abs.

Single-legged bridge

Side plank with scissor

Plank with leg raise

Reverse plank with leg raise

Perform 2-4 sets of  8-15 per leg

Single-legged bridge: Lie down, legs bent and feet flat on floor. Raise one leg, still bent, until calf is parallel to floor. Slowly lift your hips, hold for one count, then return to start position without letting your glutes touch the ground. Push back up and repeat until reps are done. Switch legs.

Side Plank with scissor: Start in side plank position, supporting your weight on forearm and your top foot resting on the edge of a step. Keeping your body straight, slowly raise your bottom leg, crossing it in front of your top leg (think Jane Fonda leg inner thigh lift). Hold for one count and repeat until all reps are done. Switch legs.

Plank with leg raise: Get into push up position with your toes on top of a step. Maintain a straight line with your body and slowly lift one leg toward ceiling. Hold for one count and repeat until all reps are done. Switch legs.

Reverse Plank with leg raise: Start in a reverse plank, your hands in line under your shoulders, the heels of your feet on a step. Raise one leg, hold for one count and return to start. Alternate legs until all reps are complete.

Want Sexy Abs?

Training your core is about more than just developing a six pack or obtaining a flat stomach. A strong core helps us to have good posture, eliminate back pain, improves balance and physical performance in our daily lives. Also, studies show that carrying fat around the midsection is more dangerous than carrying fat in your thighs, by increasing the risk of certain diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

In order to have a six pack, you need a low body fat percentage, so do not get discouraged if you can’t find yours – not many women can obtain a really low body fat level – and it isn’t healthy to have a body fat level lower than 14% for a long period of time. Lowering your body fat is 80% Nutrition, 10% Training, and 10% Genetics. To rid your stomach of body fat you need to eliminate added sugars, alcohol, and excess sodium from your diet. Along with cardio and weight training, this will help to lower the fat you may carry around your midsection.

Do each of these moves for 60 seconds ea. Perform 3 rounds.

Plank: Get onto knees and elbows. Step your legs behind you to make a line from your head to your heels. Draw you abs in and hold tight. Do not let abs droop at any time.

Bicycle: Lie on floor, raising your knees over your hips, legs bent. Raise your shoulders off the floor and extend your right leg. Next, extend your left leg while bringing your right leg towards chest, touch elbows to knees as they draw in.

V-Sit: Sit tall with your feet flat on floor and hands lightly resting behind your thighs. Staying tall, lean back at your hips to make a V-shape with your body. Extend your legs out while leaning back, then simultaneously pull you legs towards your chest while raising your chest to meet your thighs, then extend legs and lean back again and repeat.

Supermans: Lie face down on floor, arms extended over your head. Simultaneously lift your legs and your arms upward, pressing your hips into the floor.

Perform routine every other day, or 3 times a week.

Some foods to introduce into your abs diet that help stave off bloat are asparagus, cucumbers and romaine lettuce.

The Elusive Six-Pack

Are you in search of that elusive six pack? Have you been performing hundreds of crunches, only to look in the mirror and see….absolutely…..nothing?

Most people believe that if they perform hundreds of ab exercises every day that they will obtain a beautiful, flat stomach promoting a powerful six-pack. Unfortunately, most almost always fail. There is more to obtaining a muscular stomach than just doing crunches.

Genetics, age and gender help determine the shape of your abdomen; therefore, you may not have an actual “six pack”. That said, with the proper exercises, you can improve the abdominal muscles. The abdominal muscles react to resistance training just like any other muscle group. Effective exercise will fatigue muscles in less than 20 repetitions and will produce better results than doing 100 crunches everyday.

However, if you want to actually see those abs, you are going to have to shed that layer of fat over them. To do that you are going to need to do 3 things: watch your diet and eat clean whole foods, perform cardio, and exercise your abs 3-4 times a week (listed in order of importance).

90% of the equation is going to be your diet. To help speed up the process, you need to stay away from alcohol, sugar, and sodium. Your sodium intake should only be 1500 mg per day and your added sugar should be limited as much as possible. The more flab you have to shed, the longer it will take to see those ab muscles pop through, realistically 3-6 months. But don’t get discouraged, if you eat clean, and do cardio as many days a week as you can, incorporating High Intensity Intervals, you can see results in as few as 4 weeks.

Here is a list of good ab exercises to incorporate into your workout program.

Bicycle Crunch, Standard Crunch, Reverse Crunch, Oblique Crunch, Plank,

Side Plank, Leg Raises, Stability Ball Crunch.

You can also go to the web to find more challenging exercises, and exercises to perform in the gym using cables and other equipment.

Keep working hard and you will not be disappointed.