The Main Event: Crunches Versus Sit-ups To Flatten Tummy

And tonight ladies and gentlemen for the main event we have Crunches Versus Sit-ups. The winner will flatten tummy safely while getting you on the road to getting those highly coveted six-pack abs.

A healthy lifestyle is a priority of many these days as opposed to the days of wild indulgence in fast foods and couch potato lifestyles.

More people are working out, eating properly and reducing stress by getting plenty of fresh air and an adequate amount of  sleep.

Depending on where the overweight problem is located on the body you must decide whether to do crunches or sit-ups. Choose wisely as this could be a good thing or a one way ticket to pretty severe damage to your body.

Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of doing crunches as opposed to sit-ups can mean the difference between a healthy, attractive body and costly rehabilitation.

No one in their right mind will deny that crunches are a good method of strengthening the core muscles and getting rid of troubling “apple” type body fat problems.

But, as with all things, it’s how you do it that determines success or failure. Form is the first consideration.

One of the advantages of performing crunches over sit-ups is that crunches target muscles in a continuous motion over sit-ups which only target the muscles before the hips take over lifting your torso.

One of the disadvantages is that crunches can cause severe neck problems if the person places their hands behind the neck and use it as leverage.

Proper form consists of resting the hands lightly on the shoulders and allowing the abs to do the work.

No one will deny, either, that many doctors treat back pain because people didn’t do their crunches correctly.

If pain enters the picture, you should stop what you are doing because pain is the signal that something is wrong.

Another advantage of doing crunches to flatten tummy muscles over sit-ups is that the lower back is not engaged.

In sit-ups, the abs from the ribs down engage and then the lower back muscles engage to trigger the hips to lift your body. This disadvantage has caused many prescriptions for painkillers to be filled.

Doing exercises that engage the lower back muscles is a huge red flag.

The spine comes in for its share of stress as well.

Crunches tend to engage the upper spine which does not turn because the ribcage stops it from turning.

The lower spine, which is engaged during sit-ups, turns, which can cause damage to the lower back irrespective of musculature.

Therefore another advantage crunches have over sit-ups is lack of damage to the spine.

There is simply unacceptable risk to the spine during sit-ups.

The battle of the crunches vs. sit-ups to flatten tummy muscles has been raging for a long time.

Studies have been done using pig spines to simulate amount of pressure put on the spine doing both exercises and clearly, sit-ups lost the battle.

For the safety of the person working out, consider the musculature, the spine and the presence of pain and make necessary adjustments to your workout.

Doing the exercise with the correct form can net you the six-pack abs everyone loves instead of pain management.

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