5 Reasons NEVER To Do Crunches Again
I just spent two and half hours reading through all your ab questions from last week and I must say I’m shocked…
… I didn’t realize how many people were still using crunches to try and get a flat stomach and six pack abs.
Unfortunately, I have bad news… doing crunches is NOT going to get you the results you want.
(Although you knew this already, of course, as so many of you also wrote in with frustration that the crunches were not working.)
So I’m going to prove today what you already knew, and that’s how you NEVER need to do crunches again… here are the 5 reasons:
1) Crunches are most dangerous when they are most effective.
When you are overweight, there can be a lot of resistance on the abs when you do crunches – and technically that is good…
HOWEVER, because your ab and low back muscles are weak, that’s when you use bad form and end up with a pain-in-the-neck or low back pain from crunches.
So even though crunches can work your abs as a beginner, they end up causing more harm than good.
2) On the other hand, crunches get LESS effective as you get leaner and fitter, because there is less resistance on the muscle and you’re now too strong to get anything out of crunches.
Here’s a dramatic demonstration of what I mean.
Take your left arm and extend it out to your side. Now clench your fist and do 20 biceps curls.
Now tell me, do you really think that will “work your biceps” and make them lean and sexy? Of course not! So why would the same high-rep method of crunches work for your abs? It won’t, of course.
3) A couple of years ago, Men’s Health magazine made a big deal about a research study proving you would need to do 20,000 crunches to burn 1 pound of belly fat. Twenty thousand!
Even a “crunch fanatic” would need a few days to do 20,000 crunches. The bottom line is that ab crunches are a HUGE waste of time when you are trying to lose belly fat.
4) Interval training works your abs harder than crunches.
Whether it’s sprints or kettlebell swings, your abs will shape up faster with interval training than they will with crunches. Guaranteed.
5) Crunches don’t make your abs “pop out.”
This was a big problem mentioned in so many of your questions. A lot of TT readers had lost the fat, but still couldn’t see their abs because they didn’t “Pop out.”
Listen, crunches will never do that… but the exercises we share here in my newsletters will change your body, I promise.
So when you’re ready to give up crunches (like right now, right?) and use proven ab exercises and workouts, then you’re ready for these unique new ab exercises.
Click here to get a really cool ab exercise video
See your abs soon,
Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer
PS – You CAN do this!
Whatever is in your way, you’re stronger than it, you’re tougher than it, and you’re better than it. You’re going to beat it. You must truly believe in yourself. You must end the “I’ll give this a try” mindset, and switch to an, “I’m going to succeed” belief.