ActiveRunningI did 100 crunches a day for a week and the results were wildIt’s a brilliant exercise for working those ‘six-pack muscles’When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
ActiveRunningI did 100 crunches a day for a week and the results were wildIt’s a brilliant exercise for working those ‘six-pack muscles’When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
It’s a brilliant exercise for working those ‘six-pack muscles’
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Getty)
(Image credit: Getty)
Jump to category:Benefits of crunchesHow to do a crunchMy results
Jump to category:Benefits of crunchesHow to do a crunchMy results
‘How to get a six-pack’ is a highly searched fitness-related question that crops up inGoogleall year round. In April alone it had over 300,000 searches, which isn’t surprising as people are usually keen to ramp up the workouts and get in shape for the summer months ahead.
My workout regime consists of a lot of heavy weightlifting and while many of the bigcompound movements, such as squats and deadlifts, do work your core, I was aware that I’d abandoned doing some isolation core exercises (the type of exercises that just target your core muscles). My deep core muscles are ‘ok’ because of the style of training I do (I’ll be completing more challenges for those though as they could do with a little extra work, so watch this space) but I was keen to get my stomach a little more defined. Could doing 100 crunches a day for a week really change my torso? Read on to find out.
What are the benefits of crunches?
After doing some research I also discovered that crunches are more gentle on the lumbar spine (the lower back) as opposed to sit-ups. This is because a sit-up requires you to lift higher off of the floor which activates your hip flexors (as well as numerous other muscles) and, as a result putting extra pressure on your lower back. A crunch, however, has a smaller range of motion and therefore doesn’t. This also means there’s a lower risk of injury and the movement is easier to master. As someone who regularly suffers from lower back pain, I decided crunches were the one for me and my goal at hand.
How do you do abdominal crunches?
As mentioned above, crunches are easier to perform than sit-ups because they require a smaller range of motion (although there are some people who would definitely disagree). However, making sure you do them properly, and not lifting yourself too high off the floor is key, otherwise your hips may start to activate and then you’ll just end up putting pressure on your lower back.
Here’s how to perform a crunch with good form:
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Once you master the crunch and you feel it becoming easier, there are lots of different crunch variations you can try, such as a bicycle crunch or reverse crunch.
100 crunches a day — my experience
Instead of going full blast and smashing out 100 reps, I decided to break my crunches down into smaller goal points. I would do four sets of 25 reps with a 60 second rest in between, which I would complete at either the end of my workout or end of the day. I also always made sure I always had an exercise mat to complete my crunches. Why? Because if you’re uncomfortable doing this exercise you’re just not going to do it properly and you definitely want to be comfy.
I decided to take a more realistic approach the next day — I was going to aim for more control during the movement — something I realised I hadn’t done at all on the first day, as my breathing had been all over the place like a panting dog. I developed a good rhythm — breathing in at the bottom and exhaling at the top — and, to my delight, this time I managed to get 17 reps on my second, third and fourth set before needing a three second rest.
Image1of1(Image credit: Getty)
Image1of1(Image credit: Getty)
Image1of1
(Image credit: Getty)
(Image credit: Getty)
(Image credit: Getty)
(Image credit: Getty)
(Image credit: Getty)
(Image credit: Getty)
(Image credit: Getty)
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