Choose between crunches and planks: which is better? Planks have evolved into something of a panacea workout, according to any fitness publication or just what fitness enthusiasts are gushing about on social media.
Fitness professionals appear to be losing faith in the traditional crunch, previously a fundamental ab-toning routine, as they have emerged as the most popular option for sculpting tight and powerful abdominal muscles.
However, just like in any other sector, fitness fads come and go. Do you remember when sit-ups were in style?
Many excellent classic workouts have been abandoned merely because a few self-described fitness gurus have said so, which highlights the difficulty with these opinion shifts: they are rarely supported by strong scientific data.
Crunches are hardly the most thrilling exercise, let's face it. It has more to do with our collective realisation that spot reduction is a fallacy and that crunches can't be utilised to particularly burn abdominal fat. However, the way they have been demonised in recent years is far from an objective judgement supported by scientific research.
The truth is that some crunch variations can train your abs quite effectively and merit their position in your ab regimen, despite the fact that the current fitness fad seems to suggest that planks are a superior ab workout than crunches.
Read this article to learn what research on muscle activation has to say about the greatest exercise to strengthen and tone your abs!
AND THE WINNER IS… STANDARD CRUNCH
Yes, truly. As it turns out, crunches work amazingly well in engaging almost all abdominal muscles when done correctly. Physiologists and exercise specialists assert that you can get much more results from crunches than from most other common ab routines, especially those done on trendy machines, provided you complete them fully and concentrate on engaging your abdominal muscles to lift your shoulders off the floor.
In a recent study, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) assessed muscle activity throughout 16 ab workouts, including the classic crunch, by utilising electrodes to record muscle contraction.
According to the findings, of all the workouts, the crunch elicited the most muscle activation.
If you're thinking, "That might be true, but there are still many other studies that say crunches don't work", let us clarify: the most significant aspect of the ACE study is that participants were forced to perform crunches very deliberately and with perfect form, which is not how most people approach this exercise.
HOW TO DO CRUNCHES PROPERLY
Put your feet up against a wall while lying on your back and bend your knees and hips at a 90-degree angle. Instead of crossing your arms behind your neck, cross them on your chest to avoid cheating and neck ache.
Elevate your head and shoulders off the ground by contracting your abdominal muscles. Hold for a time, then slowly reposition your body to the starting position.
It doesn't really matter how fast or slow you play the descending segment; what counts is that you do it slowly and deliberately. If you notice that you are descending too quickly, focus on extending the descent by three counts.
The ACE study showed that hand location is completely unimportant when the movement is propelled by the abdominal muscles.
The cross-chest position is advised by specialists since many people are guilty of decreasing the effectiveness of the exercise by interlacing their fingers and pulling on their heads.
DON’T FORGET BICYCLE CRUNCHES
The conventional crunch is excellent for training the rectus abdominus, the front sheath of your abs that makes up a "six-pack," because it entails moving forward and backward.
However, experts believe that normal crunches are not the ideal option for strengthening the external obliques, or the muscles at the sides of your waist. This is where bicycle crunches come into play.
Bicycle crunches target all of your abdominal muscles, as you are likely already aware if you've ever done them. Because they equally target the rectus abdominis and external obliques, the American Council on Exercise once named them one of the best bodyweight abdominal exercises.
Your external obliques operate to turn your torso side to side and assist you in bending sideways at the waist when you rotate your body to bring a shoulder to the opposing knee. The torso's stability and the maintenance of a properly oriented spine are two major benefits of exercising these side-ab muscles.
To do bicycle crunches correctly, assume a conventional crunch position. Then, while simultaneously extending your right leg, lift your right shoulder toward your left knee. Repeat on the other side without hesitating. Again, to get the most out of the exercise, move slowly and focus on muscle contraction.
CAPTAIN’S CHAIR LEG RAISES
The captain's chair is a straightforward device that resembles a tall, seatless chair with arm rests and a back rest, and it can help you build your ab muscles more than you could ever imagine.
It is easier to manage for less experienced athletes and an essential component of an abs and core workout because it engages some of the same muscles as hanging leg raises while also providing support for your back.
Put your legs straight down and climb into the chair, pressing your lower back onto the back rest and grasping the armrests with your hands.
Now, hold yourself firmly through your shoulders and back and tighten your abdominals to slowly and steadily bring your knees to your chest. To fully stimulate your abdominal muscle fibres, raise your knees above your hips. Return your legs to the starting position slowly, then do it again.
Do you need more intensity? Consider raising the knees to either side.
PLANKS ARE ALSO EFFECTIVE
In the aforementioned ACE study, the rectus abdominus and external obliques muscles were also examined in relation to the benefits of front forearm planks and side planks.
Planks shouldn't be left out when creating a complete ab programme, even though the results weren't as good as anticipated.
In particular, the researchers modestly came to the conclusion that there are numerous deep-seated layers of core muscles that cannot be accessible with electrodes, and as a result, there is still room for discussion on the ab-building potential of planks.
The transverse abdominus, a crucial muscle that stabilises the spine and significantly adds to core strength, is trained by planks, as we already know.
Nevertheless, researchers advise substituting its more difficult varieties for the static plank for optimum outcomes. Take it to the next level with forearm planks, rocking planks, knee planks, side planks, or reverse planks once you've mastered a strong 60-second static plank.
These adjustments make the core muscles work much harder and provide better gains. No matter the plank variant you choose, be sure to brace your core and tighten your glutes at all times.
Nothing in the realm of workouts and how they interact with the intricate biomechanics of the human body is simply black or white, like many other things in life.
Therefore, you should ensure that you master these fundamental exercises before adding tiny tweaks to increase the intensity and achieve a whole new level of strength and fitness gains rather than dismissing them as unproductive and removing them from your programme. And the classic crunch is the best place to begin!
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