Comments on: Do You Think Crunches Are a Waste of Time?

By: CoZoPhil

CoZoPhil — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:38:59 +0000

Nothing wrong with poor old, much maligned crunches in my view. All stomach exercises (pretty much) have some potential for a risk of back damage to a greater or lesser extent.

The way round this is to concentrate on what you are doing and listen to your body. Which, thankfully, is not too hard for most of us if we vary our routine and don’t get bored.

I use crunches and a lot of other exercises in a varied, short (ususally) daily abs session – no back trouble! 6 pack is in good shape and doesn’t take a lot of maintenance, but the overlying fat comes and goes more with the amount of overall activity, particularly aerobic (I run a bit). So, no, you can’t really spot reduce.

Incidentally, I don’t run an awful lot either. I am just into easy fitness for general well-being and social purposes rather than anything else. But I do want to look and feel as good as possible for my advanced age.

By: Studio Element Personal Training

Studio Element Personal Training — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:32:56 +0000

It is true that you cannot spot reduce and I explain this to my personal training clients constantly. With that said, crunches work part of your core musculature. If you do perform crunches on a regular basis, just make sure that you are balanced with low back exercises and rotational movements to name a few.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:21:39 +0000

@Patrick: “If you were to do crunches and not do any cardio you would probably gain weight and get chubbie. ”

Please explain what you mean by this Patrick.

By: Patrick Kallie

Patrick Kallie — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:20:04 +0000

Crunches do work but you have to incorporate them into your overall workout plan. If you were to do crunches and not do any cardio you would probably gain weight and get chubbie.

But the main thing is to do lots of cardio combine with ab crunches to get that full effect.

By: Melinda

Melinda — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:35:10 +0000

I still make crunches a part of my workouts. I actually love to do weighted crunches because resistance will help to build up the muscle. I don’t do hundreds of them a day – not even close – and there are other ab exercises that I prefer doing. I think the main thing is making sure your back is strong (don’t neglect that and just work on abs) and that one has proper form. If you’re doing the crunch correctly, there shouldn’t be any strain on the neck.

I would be interested in learning more about them causing back pain, although I think a lot of back pain stems from doing exercises with improper form and by having a weak back in the first place.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:06:18 +0000

I think crunches are necessary as part of a complete workout, but shouldn’t be done in excess. They won’t give you a six-pack by themselves, I’ve tried! However, when doing crunches you are using calories, and as you start to lose fat to go larger stomache muscles will show better. If you’re going to do them it’s best to get some proper instruction so you learn to do them safely
Stephen.

By: Ronnie Ray

Ronnie Ray — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:54:46 +0000

Yeah! It is really a waste of time. It will take a lot of time to develop the 6 pack abs. There are a lot of exercise that gives faster development than crunches.

By: Tourq

Tourq — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:16:39 +0000

@ Howard:

“I would like to know more about them causing back problems though.”

I have never heard of crunches, if done properly, to cause back problems. The only thing that I have heard, is that of the people who specifically target their abs, few of them also target their back muscles. So too many people become muscle imbalanced – their abs pull their back and shoulders forward, but their back doesn’t compensate.

By: Sports Supplements Online

Sports Supplements Online — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:19:09 +0000

Elliptical, staying away from sugar, full body workouts and planks gave me my six pack. No crunches needed.

By: Howard

Howard — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:17:45 +0000

I don’t think they are a waste of time. I find them to build ab muscle pretty well if you are doing them right. I would like to know more about them causing back problems though. I would be interested in trying other exercises if it is true.