Abdominal Crunches: Do’s and Don’t’s

Abdominal Crunches: Do’s and Don’t’s
Bikini season is on its way, and if you want to look sexy this spring, then now is the time to crack down on the abdominal crunches!

The abdominal crunch is the most popularly used technique for getting those sexy six-packs. By focusing all your muscles on flexing your abs and strengthening your core, you can slim down and tone up without expensive equipment.

However, these common mistakes may be keeping you from getting the weight loss results you’re looking for.

Don’t Get Caught in These Six-Pack Mistakes

Don’t: Use Bad Form: Bad posture and form will counteract all your hard work, developing muscles in all the wrong places. If you’re using your neck or momentum to get through each crunch, your abs simply tag along for the ride.

According to Erin O’Brien, creator of Strong body Ageless Body, “You must control your abdominal wall to get any real benefit.”

Do: If you’re not sure if you’re doing your abdominal crunches correctly, try working out in front of a mirror. Not only will you see how to fine-tune your moves, but you can get a check out your sexy lean body while you do so.

Don’t: Do a Full Sit-Up: If you’re starting out, doing a complete sit-up is incredibly difficult to do with proper form. More often than not, you use your neck and hip flexors instead of your abs, and you end up straining muscles that won’t give you belly flattening results.

Do: If you’re looking for a powerful way to work your core and abdominal crunches simply aren’t cutting it, sign up for a Pilates or yoga class instead. Both exercises challenge your balance, promoting the development of stronger core muscles while increasing your calorie burn.

Don’t: Stop Breathing: When doing countless crunches and repetitions on the mat, it can be easy to flex your abs and forget to breathe.

Anatomically speaking, your abdominal muscles are directly in front of your stomach. Improper breathing pushes the stomach out, which in turn, as you may have already guessed, pushes your abdominal wall out as well. The more you force your abdominal muscles out, the further your belly will protrude.

Do: Inhale, draw the belly button toward the spine while you slowly exhale, and repeat.

Don’t: Do the Same Exercises Over and Over: The more abdominal crunches you do, the easier it gets to pump out 100 or so in a matter of minutes. Naturally, you’d assume that you’ll be getting a great workout in less time, saving your strength and energy for other things.

Do: While we might be attached to our favorite exercise, repeating the same workout day in and day out will land you in a workout rut and fail to produce any results. Why? Because the human body is amazingly adaptable, reducing the number of calories it takes to repeat the same move over and over again.

While it may require additional effort on your part, take some extra time to vary your routine. Swap out your favorite Video for a different one or sign up for a challenging new class at your local gym. If you’re not sore, you’re not working hard enough.

Additional Suggestions

These do’s and don’t’s can help you make the most out of your abdominal workouts, so you can build up that strong core and slim down your belly.

However, keep in mind that it may take more than a few abdominal crunches to ditch that belly fat. Unless you participate in regular cardio exercises along with eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, a thin layer of body fat underneath the skin may prevent you from ever seeing those sexy washboard abs that you’re working so hard to maintain.

To find out how you can lose more weight and burn body fat fast, you can read this article.