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Many fitness experts shun the traditional crunch and focus instead on "functional movements" that help people move more efficiently and avoid injury.
- Crunches and sit-ups are being shunned by fitness experts in the US military and elite gyms.
- At least four trainers have told Business Insider that there are far better ways to strengthen your core muscles and get fit in a hurry than sit-ups and crunches.
- But if you love a good crunch, there is a right way to do it: Don't move too fast, and keep your low back on the floor the entire time, pulling your rib cage towards your pelvis with your core muscles.
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If you like to sit down, stand, or bend down and pick things up from time to time, then you are a fan of your abs, whether they're rock-hard or not.
Abdominal muscles connect our rib cage to our pelvis, keeping our spine healthy and our mid-section strong enough to carry us through the day. Strengthening your core can help improve your posture and better prepare you to tackle all kinds of everyday tasks, and (of course) it can also help you develop a trimmer, more firm waistline and a chiseled frame.
Unfortunately, the basic crunches and sit-ups we've been taught are not actually the most efficient or healthy ways to build a strong core. Worse, they may cause serious damage to your back and neck if you do them wrong.
At least four different trainers and kinesiologists from celebrity gyms, universities, and fitness centers across the US have told Business Insider that sit-ups and crunches are simply not their preferred moves. And the nonprofit American Council on Exercise (ACE) says that when it comes to crunches, a lot of people "perform this movement too rapidly" and cheat their way in and out of the move by using their hip flexors to help them into the crunch.
"This technique tilts the pelvis anteriorly, increasing the stress on the low back, and should be avoided," the ACE says on its website.
Here are a handful of reasons why trainers, exercise scientists, and the US military all dislike traditional crunches and sit-ups, along with their recommendations for better core moves.