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Situps/Crunches
What is the difference between a sit-up and a crunch? My teacher said it was the same thing...
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Maybe give some free advice about: Fitness?
Very very different exercises actually. The main function of the abs (Rectus Abdominis if we wanna get all technical) is to draw the pelvis and chest closer together in a crunching movement. Hence we have crunches which engage the abs in their most natural range of motion doing their job.
Sit ups on the other hand do not crunch the pelvis and chest closer together, but simply bend the body at the middle in order to bring the chest and eplvis closer together and this works the Iliopsas or Hip Flexor muscles which run from just about above the glutes and go to just about below your lower ab region. This hence means that the abs aren't worked at all in a sit up movement.
If you really wanna see this fact at its best just stand up and hold onto something for support with one hand and with the other hand hold your lower ab region and lift one of your legs (This is like doing a sit-up except reversed)....you'll notice that you feel no contraction in your abs, but a strong pull below your abs which is the Hip Flexor muscles that are targeted during sit ups.
After proving your teacher wrong you can tell him to maybe study a little more before he gives another wrong bit of information to people he has a big influence on...
Hope it helped ;-)
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