How To Do Crunches For Abs Correctly…so you can get a great-looking mid-section!
It is important that you know how to do crunches for abs correctly if you are serious about getting the best-looking mid-section that you can. However, it is important to keep in mind that even the best sit ups will not burn the fat that overlies your stomach. There are 4 muscles that make up the abdominal group: • Rectus abdominisAll of these muscles are activated when performing the crunch exercise, however, rectus abdominis is activated the most. There are 4 basic points to keep in mind when learning how to do crunches for abs: Hand PositionWhen performing the crunch exercise place your hands at the side of your head above your ears or place your fingers behind your head. Having your fingers behind your head is okay as long as they are there to simply support the weight of your head.During a set of crunches it is possible that your neck muscles may get tired so having your hands behind your head will prevent this. However, if you choose to have your hands behind your head when performing crunches for abs, do not allow your arms to assist with the lift because it may put stress on your cervical vertebrae. Head PositionYour head position is also important when learning how to do crunches for abs correctly. You need to keep a gap between your chin and your chest at all times.This will help to keep your vertebrae in the correct alignment whilst performing the movement and will avoid any stress being placed on the vertebrae, which may occur if the cervical vertebrae is in a flexed position, i.e. when the chin is close to the chest. MovementThe function or action of rectus abdominis is to flex the spine. This means the two attachment points for the muscle group come close together.If you are lying on the floor (with knees bent and feet flat on the floor) and performing crunches or you are instructing someone else in how to do crunches for abs correctly, you want to slow lift your shoulders off the floor and bring them towards your thighs. At the same time focus on pushing your lower back into the floor in order to emphasise the flexion of the spine and breathe out as the abdominal muscles contract. Then breathe in as you lower back down to the starting position. If you are learning how to do sit ups then you simply continue the movement of lifting the shoulders off the floor and bring your middle and lower back off the floor as well. This variation puts a greater emphasis on the tranversus abdominis because is requires more stabilisation of the spine in order to hold your torso in space. The best sit ups (and crunches) is the swiss ball crunch. This involves lying on a swiss ball instead of the floor and this involves much more stabilisation of the body when performing the movement, which means more muscle fibres in a whole range of muscles will come into play. The other big advantage of performing the swiss ball crunch is that you are able to stretch the abs in the bottom position of the movement. This means you can exercise through a longer range of motion as well as get a ‘stretch against resistance’, which invokes greater muscle fibre stimulation. A final point to remember is that learning how to do crunches correctly in order to develop your abdominal muscles is only one very small part of what you need to do in order to get great-looking abs. Nutrition, aerobic exercise, resistance exercise and supplementation all play their part as well. If you are interested in discovering more ways to help you lose belly fat and achieve an impressive mid-section, then get a free copy of my Special Report titled,
‘Secrets of Weight Loss’.
Click here to go to I regularly send subscribers to my free Quick Weight Loss E-Zine, the latest 'cutting-edge' information, articles and updates on weight loss. Plus all subscribers get a FREE copy of my 'Secrets of Weight Loss' Special Report (Valued at $27). Complete the box below to subscribe to the e-zine and get instant access to the Special Report. 
Please tell me
|
For taking the time to give me your feedback I would be pleased to send you a complimentary copy of my 52-page e-book, 'How to Lose All the Weight You Want in the Next 90 Days!' (Valued at $17).
