Is your training stuck in the dark ages?
Muscle function has long been determined by studying cadavers. As anatomy experts studied the human body they would examine individual muscles to determine what the muscles job is. By studying an individual muscle of a cadaver lying on the table it was initially thought that the abdominals function was to bring the rib cage towards the feet (trunk flexion) the same motion that occurs with sit-ups and crunches. You would be hard pressed to walk through a health club, or training facility and not see someone performing crunch after crunch in the hopes of making their “abs” look better.
As science evolves so does the ability to study the human body and its abilities. We now know that in fact the abdominals may be involved in crunches, and sit-ups, but that’s not their real function.
Their real purpose is to protect your spinal cord, and allow you to sit or stand upright. Without your abdominals you would be unable to prevent gravity from slumping you over into a pile on the floor. The abdominals actually work to prevent your trunk from moving toward your feet.
So while endless crunches and sit-ups may create a burn in your belly, you may be doing more harm than good. Science also has been teaching us that eventually our joints wear out. As we get older things break down. We see it professional athletes earlier than others, as they put their body through a beating for their job. Their joints wear down faster than the average persons, but eventually the average persons joints start to exhibit signs of wear and tear as well. The number of knee and hip replacements performed each year is on the rise, as is the amount of complaints of low back pain.
Think of the spine like a credit card. Imagine that you want to fold your credit card in half. Anyone who is trying to dispose of an old card when a new one arrives knows what I’m referring to. On first attempt you can get the edges of a credit card to touch each other and the card bounces back to its original shape with no apparent damage done. Do that over and over and eventually you can see the center of the card start to look a little rough, eventually the card cracks and has lost its rigid state. Over time your joints will respond to wear and tear and start to wear out, and you might be accelerating the process by performing endless amounts of crunches.
What’s the alternative? Train the midsection the way it works, with exercises designed to promote stability. Give this workout a try:
Plank- 60 seconds
Rest 60 seconds
Spiderman Plank- x 10 ea leg
Stability Ball Jackknife x 10
Side Plank x 30 seconds each side
Rest 2 minutes
Repeat 2-3 circuits
Eliminate the crunch, and improve your results.
Want to see the other ways of bringing your training to the cutting edge. Get started with a free trial of EXPLOSION.
Mark Crabtree MS, ATC, CSCS is the Director of Sports Performance at the Chicago Bulls Chicago White Sox Training Academy. Contact Mark at (630)324-8248 or mcrabtree@bullssoxacademy.com. Check out the EXPLOSION blog for more tips on becoming a better athlete.
