The Ab Roller is another piece of equipment millions of viewers of infomercials have (regrettably) been coerced into buying. This incident emphasizes the imperative need for genuine and honest marketing in the fitness industry ( 2 ). They ended up paying a hefty sum of $3 million in civil penalties for their “deceptive weight-loss claims”. Aside from the dangers of this unnatural twisting, most of the tension is pushed onto the hip flexors to drag the torso along (even while facing forward), while the rest is in the arms to hold on to the handles of the machine.Ī crucial point to highlight is that back in 2014, the marketers of the prominent fitness product, Pro-Form Ab Glider, faced severe repercussions. The Ab Glider is reminiscent of the seated spinal twist machine, which causes the spine and discs to swivel while rocking from side to side. Ironically, the twisting motion of these moves – especially by machines such as the seated spinal twist machine –is one of the worst movements for the lumbar spine, which acts as a body stabilizer and is not designed for excessive and unnatural twisting, especially when loaded with weights. Twisting to “engage the obliques” is a practice that has been around since the advent of ab exercises. The sheer pressure of this gravitational force can alone suffice to set up the conditions conducive to a potentially debilitating back injury. Indeed, with the considerable potential risk of tearing one of these crucial flexor muscles, the situation becomes even more severe when we take into account the substantial load that gravity inevitably places on our lower backs. Here are 5 reasons you can’t see your abs yet despite working out.Incline sit-ups are one of the most deceptive of ab machine workouts, not only because they tend to look extremely effective (like an enhanced super-crunch), but also take quite a bit of effort, which makes many believe they’ve gotten an effective ab workout. Unfortunately, the burn induced by incline sit-ups is concentrated in the hip flexors and is especially taxing on their connection point to the upper legs. Remember that stubborn genetics and other lifestyle factors like body fat percentage and diet play a part. That said, hundreds of crunches won’t guarantee a svelte midsection. You’ll undoubtedly hit various other major muscles too (depending on the crunch), such as the shoulders, arms, lower back, glutes and hip flexor muscles.Īs this ab workout doesn’t repeat exercises, you won’t get bored, and it’s a good one to add onto the end of a strength session, a run, or to try on a rest day to work on the muscles in your core. Some crunch variations target the oblique muscles through lateral flexion and rotation, while others hit the rectus abdominal muscles (the six-pack muscles) with flexion and extension of the spine. There are a number of benefits to doing crunches to work on your core. Keep your legs lifted, don’t let them crash back to the mat. Lower your upper body back to the mat, moving slowly and with control. Pause and hold the movement when your shoulders are lifted off the floor. Curl your head, neck, and shoulder blades up off the mat, keeping your legs straight, and reach your arms towards your toes. Squeeze your core, thinking about sucking your belly button into your spine. Ensure your lower back is pressed into the floor, and that there isn’t any space between your back and the mat. Raise your legs together, lifting them to the ceiling, with a slight bend in your knee. Toe reach crunch: Also known as vertical leg crunches, start by lying on your back with your arms outstretched to the ceiling. Here’s more on how to do a reverse crunch, the benefits, and the modifications to try. As you exhale, lower your hips back to the mat. Your head and neck should stay imprinted on the mat. Pause at the top of the movement, using your core to keep your hips raised off the mat. Keep your knees bent, inhale, and raise your legs, hips, and bottom off the mat. Bend your legs at the knee, press your feet into the mat, and engage your core, thinking about sucking your belly button into your spine. Reverse crunch: To do a reverse crunch, start by lying on your back, with your lower back, head, and neck pressed into the floor. In the workout, Girvan does 45 seconds on one side, before swapping to the other. Pause at the top, then lower back to your starting position. Cross one leg over the other, so your foot is resting on the opposite knee, as you crunch up, reach the opposite elbow to your knee, it doesn’t matter if they don’t actually touch. X over knee crunch: For this variation, start in a crunch position, with your feet pressed into the floor and your hands resting behind your head.
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