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crunches vs. sit-ups
I just read what you wrote about crunches being better than sit-ups, and I belive you..but what is the difference? And how do you do crunches - the right way - so your back wont hurt, and you'll looose that tummy!?
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First off- I want it to be known that crunches will not lose a tummy- your diet does that.
Crunches are better than sit ups for the simple reason that crunches engage the abs in their most natural motion in the manner in which their function should be- to "crunch" the chest closer to the pelvis. The abs (Rectus Abdominis) are a very small muscle group with a very important job- supporting the weight of your entire upper body and this is why they are hard to get results from- they are used to heavy work day in and day out so you really need to hit them hard. Sit-ups do not involve the abs but a muscle group called the Iliopsos or Hip Flexor muscles. This is why your abs don't hurt after doing sit-ups but the area below your lower abs does. I have always done and recommended compound movements which make the abs serve as the prime supporting muscles in an exercise over so much isolation which will just serve to overtrain them and not do anything. I have always recommended this for training another small muscles group such as the biceps- your biceps are only the size of an orange and yet people hammer them with set after set of isolation work that they think will make them grow- WRONG. To this day when I do biceps I do no more than 9 sets total- that's because this is all that's needed. The abs are the same- they are better worked in a compound movement and when you need to do isolation exercise (crunches of course) you need only do limited sets to get the benefits. Trust me.
The right way to do a crunch is to lay face up on the floor- it's your choice to bring your knees up closer to your body or leave your legs extended out (this is harder). You can put your hands behind your head, across your chest or to the side and proceed to bring your chest up off the floor in an attempt to "crunch" it into your pelvis.
VERY IMPORTANT- You will see lots of people going very fast when they do crunches- DO NOT DO THIS concentrate on feeling the abs contract and holding that contraction and making it all flow smooth. Keep a good pace but not a lightning pace or nothing will work.
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