Learn how to perfect the technique of one of the most common core exercises, and the best way to do it! Muscles worked: abs Instructor: Dr William Fotherby Model: Holly Boyd
I was looking at the comments and already love this channel U respond to every question u properly explain in the video and in replays and this channel is just an all rounder Thanks for the help
Hi Zakwan - thank you so much for your very kind comment (it is definitely one of our favourite comments of all time!). We are planning on filming new content in the new year, so let us know if there is anything in particular you would like to see! :)
This is just superb, I been tryin to find out about "good sit up" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Ever heard of - Bondraw Firm Ferriferous - (just google it ) ? Ive heard some amazing things about it and my friend got amazing results with it.
Hi Potgg, Mike Lyons is correct, you want to breathe IN during the downwards phase and breathe OUT during the upwards phase. We have a video explaining this and talking through breathing when you exercise: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8Kt7vzTd5cs.html Hope you find it useful!
@@treegoat5069 Getting a six-pack has nothing to do with crunches or sit ups really, you can strengthen your muscles yes. But a six-pack is gained by lowering fat percentage (burn more calories than you intake)/ better diet.
Crunches always confused me although I have a better grasp of how the exercise is done now. What I'm still not sure about is the part of tightening the muscles when going up and I'm not sure if I do it correctly and it also seems I can't go as far up as was shown in the video, I only lift a bit up from the ground (either because I'm doing it wrong or maybe I'm just not strong enough).
Thanks for making this video. I didn't really know the difference between the two. And now I know that sit-ups aren't good for you, so I'll just do more crunches to compensate.
i usually do 30 sit ups. Now I tried these 30 crunches. My core hurts more with the crunches but with the sit ups I feel like its more aerobic cuz usually I start to breathe heavily as if I ran 100 meters but the reason I dont like sit ups is because when you do them a lot they become worse for your bones and joints
Thanks for this, i hav always had a problem doing sit ups, thought the crunch was inferior but i from what u hav explained i guess not, will try them, thanks..
I've been doing crunches in p.e on accident...- when I don't want to finish my sit-ups, I barely do them- and it was exactly like a crunch- no wonder I didn't get in trouble
As a personal training and sports therapy channel, 8 couldn’t agree more with this, everything thinks sit ups are best but your really just exerting more energy and not getting any more benefit from the top part of the sit up!
I always felt like crunches were better because I just felt it way more and there was no extra movement to go all the way up. I would always do sit-ups tho because it was more popular up and it was introduced to me first.
Hi Jesse Lee, thanks very much for your question. With CRUNCHES we agree that it is important to keep your hands by the sides of your head. However, all variations of Sit Ups have negatives and therefore it doesn't really matter whether the arms swing or if the hands are by the side of the head. Negatives of Sit Up variations: a) Swinging the arms: you will rely more on momentum and therefore will not work your abdominal muscles as effectively. b) Hands by the side of the head: you will not use as much momentum, but will engage your hip flexors more, resulting in tight hip flexors, which are not only uncomfortable but also can have a negative effect on posture and are associated with an increased risk of groin strain. This is why CRUNCHES are much BETTER than any variation of Sit Ups - as they work the abdominal muscles more effectively and do NOT tighten the hip flexors. Hope that makes sense, The Get Exercise Confident Team
Are the crunches equally good for upper, mid and lower abs or do they focus on just one area? What other exercise do you recommend for bringing a big gut under control?
Hi alias dak, thanks for your great question. The main muscle worked during the crunch is the rectus abdominis - the muscle that is known to make up the 'six pack'. What is really interesting about the rectus abdominis is that although it looks like multiple muscles, it is actually just a pair of muscles that run down in parallel from the bottom of your rib cage to the front of your pelvis. These two muscles have multiple horizontal 'tendinous intersections' which give the appearance of there being 6-8 separate muscles - but they are actually just a pair of continuous muscles. Therefore, whenever you do a crunch you are working the whole of rectus abdominis and not one particular area (it is impossible to work only a part of it, just like when you do a bicep curl it is impossible to work only part of the bicep). You can feel this for yourself by putting your hand on your lower abdomen whilst you crunch - you will feel the lower part of the rectus abdominis contracting. In terms of reducing the size of your stomach - exercises such as the crunch and the plank (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6LqqeBtFn9M.html) are great for strengthening your core, but the best way to lose weight is through a combination of: 1) Cardio training (in particular interval training is very effective for weight loss). 2) Healthy diet (avoiding processed and sugary foods). 3) Resistance training (science shows that resistance training helps lose weight). We've got some really good circuits on our channel which combine the cardio with resistance training, so feel free to give those a try: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8nwOUidIwgc.html Hope that helps and please let us know if you have any other questions! And make sure you let us know how you get on :)
this was very helpful i had no idea that there was a difference in these two exercises. i hope that with this knowledge i can start doing proper crunches and maybe my tummy will start to look less like a potato lmfao!
Thanks so much Scotty Whitis and Amy Briffa - its brilliant to hear your great feedback and that you have subbed :) If there are any more exercises or videos you would like to see let us know as we would love to hear!
Hi NightFlash, two questions: 1) Does the shaking start straight straight away or after a couple of crunches? 2) During which part of the crunch is your body shaking (up, down or both)?
My abs shake when I do the crunches after few times but I guess that's because the body is not trained yet. It's like when I first started weights my arms would shake because I was building the muscle, but it no longer does. Now I'm focusing on my abs and in my situation, it's just that I am trying to gain and define those muscles.
Hi Nightflash - the going down part of the crunch is actually the hardest part of the exercise (when done correctly with control). So if you have a bit of shaking just with that part then that's ok. You should find that as you get better the shaking will take longer to come on. Hope that helps and let us know how it gets on!
That was a very good video, I'm trying to get in shape so I can enlist and I just couldn't figure out why crunches sucked so freaking much, turns out I was going too high, bending my neck too much, not supporting my head, and not controlling my descent lollll. Thanks
Thanks for your kind message William - so pleased to hear that the video has been helpful, and great summary of the key points! Best of luck getting in shape and enlisting!
Hi. I had a silly question regarding workout in general. I've been working out for a week now and it's already taking me half the time to do the exact things I was doing at the beginning of the week. Does this mean I'm getting stronger or am I doing something wrong? And your video gave me useful insight, so thank you!
Hi Elham - thanks for your great feedback. The speed of the crunch should stay the same - as you need to be doing a controlled movement in order to work the abdominal muscles effectively - (as if you go too fast you will be using momentum instead). However, if you are doing it quicker because you don't need to rest as much between crunches then this means you are getting fitter. Keep up the great work and let us know if you have any other questions. The GEC team.
Hi Kittyin - thanks for your question. We would recommend that you avoid putting your feet under anything - as this will actually result in your hip flexors working more (and therefore your core muscles less). We would recommend that instead you put your feet up on something (like a chair or bed) with your knees bent at a right angle. This will work the abdominal muscles just as well - so give it a go and let us know how you get on!
Hi Isaac, if the crunch position is hurting your knees then another option is to do the crunches with your feet up on a chair. You might find this helps take the pressure off. Let us know if it works!
Hi Sufiyan. Lautaro and Princexedrhic are both correct - crunches alone won't reduce stomach fat. The best way is a combination of cardio training (eg running /swimming / football), resistance training (eg squats / lunges) and healthy nutrition (low sugar diet). Try giving one of our circuits a go (which combine both): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8nwOUidIwgc.html Let us know how you get on!
As many as you feel confident and relaxed there is no magic number, each person has his own threshold......... Body relaxation is important factor, normally we for begginer 20to50 will do it.....
Hi Saloni - great question. Firstly, it is important to have a rest day for muscles after working them - that is when they recover and get stronger. Therefore, doing crunches 2-3 times a week is all you need. We normally recommend 10-30 reps and 2-3 sets (with a minute break in between). But if you can't do 10 reps then just do as many as you can with good technique. Hope that helps, and let us know how you get on!
