Crunch: Work the abdomen rep over rep

I omit the fact that the editorial office insists on giving me articles on the abs (like those on the plank and oncore workout), and I'll be sulking here with my stubborn fat.

Yes: because one of the classic questions related to crunches - and all the other exercises for the abdominals - is: but does abdominals burn fat on the waist?

We will reply in due course.

Crunch: the most used (and abused) exercise

Back on the ground, knees bent, feet firmly on the ground or stuck under a support, hands behind the neck: welcome to the door of endless sets of crunches.

Exhale, bring your sternum closer to your pubis, making a movement of about 30 °. Be aware that a greater movement is not necessary: ​​you would involve the hip muscles, nullifying the abdominal work.

Inhale, returning to the starting position.

Time passes, and you grind series by series.

And in the meantime train your rectus abdominis, a muscle that originates from the sternum and inserts itself on the pubis.

Note: technically there is no high and low abdominal. The rectus abdominis (the person in charge of the notorious, highly desired six-pack) is a single muscle. Then:

• imagine it split in two, no
• subject it to different stimuli (exercises), yes

Typical errors in the execution of the crunch

• rise, as we have seen, by a degree higher than 30 °.
• pull your head with your hands (the head must remain in a neutral position)

Classic variants of the crunch

Reverse crunch

Let's repeat it immediately: the reverse crunch does not train a notorious low abdominal, but always acts on the abdominal rectum in its entirety.

Hips flexed to 90 °: the movement requires recruiting the hip flexors.

Lift the sacrum off the ground. You must always think that you want bring the pubis closer to the sternum.

You return to the initial position with a constantly controlled movement.

Oblique crunches for the oblique abs

No, I'll tell you right away: studies say that this movement does NOT involve obliques internal and external.

On the contrary: it seems that crunch and reverse crunch do it, while the more classic oblique exercises would move the rectus femoris more.

What a rip off!

The fitball variant

It seems that this variant (it starts with the back and back resting on a fitball) is instead more effective than normal crunch, because the slight extension of the back allows to "pre-stretch" the rectus abdominis.

It is worth taking care not to exceed 30 ° of movement.

In short, does crunching serve to burn "the belly"?

No.

End.

Search in CrossMag.it: you will find numerous articles on slimming.

One thing is interesting: the abdominals trained with crunch are muscles like all the others, and for this they can be worked in hypertrophy. What does it mean? That as soon as you are below a certain body fat threshold (which depends on your conformation), your trained abs can stand out more easily under the residual fat, because their hypertrophy develops in thickness.

Then?

Tap to get them. E - to close: any abdominal exercise, does its part.

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