Go crunchless

June 27th, 2008 at 05:41pm Mike DeDoncker

When you think of abdominal exercises, the one that comes to mind is usually the crunch.

It’s basic and, usually, not too difficult. Lying face up with knees bent, abdominals tightened and feet flat on the floor, you flex your torso up by contracting your abs.

There are several ways to vary the crunch — feet off the floor, on a bench from a decline position, and a bunch of others. But what if, no matter how many variations you’ve tried, you’re just plain bored with crunches or you have osteopoenia or osteoporosis issues that indicate you shouldn’t be performing trunk flexion?

Here are a couple of exercises to try when the crunch just isn’t your thing.

Plank — You’re not moving, unless you count shaking while trying to hold the position during this exercise, but it’s a good one.

Begin by lying face down on the floor or a mat (your elbows with thank you if you use a mat), resting on your forearms with palms flat on the mat.

Push up off the mat by raising up onto your toes and forearms with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders. Your body should be in a straight line from your shoulders, through your hips to your toes. Keep your back flat.

Tilt your pelvis slightly down and forward and contract your abs to prevent your bottom from sticking up in the air. You will also want to keep your bottom and your quadriceps muscles tight to help hold the position. Don’t hold your breath.

If you’re a beginner, try to hold the position for 20 seconds, then lower and repeat for three to five repetitions. As you get more advanced, try to work up to holding the position for 60 seconds.

Captain’s chair — That’s the name the American Council on Exercise gives to an exercise performed on an apparatus from which you can hold yourself in a straight up position with your feet off the floor (such as where you do dips).

Grip the handholds to help stabilize your upper body. If the apparatus has a pad for your back, press up against it and contract your abs to raise your legs toward your chest. Don’t arch your back.

Slowly lower your legs and repeate for 12 to 15 repetitions, depending on your level of fitness. You may see people performing this exercise lowering their legs until they are straight, but you might want to try lowering them only four to six inches to keep tension on the abs throughout the exercise.

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