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Get abs without crunches
Posted by: Sean
If you are a bodybuilder then you will already know that doing 1000 sit-ups or crunches every day is not going to get you a six-pack of abs. The reason is simply because your rectus abdominis muscles are not meant for spinal flexion but rather designed for anti-extension.
Anti-extension is basically the opposite force acting when you lift anything. When you lift any weight, a shopping bag, a child or a suitcase the reason why you do not start buckling over is because of your obliques and your rectus abdominus. You can try this yourself just by picking up a dumbbell and lifting above and forward.
If you lift the weight, with your knees slightly bent, you will feel the stress of the opposite action on your abs as you move the D/B you are holding in front of you to above your head etc. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research did a study on this subject.
The study was published drawing the conclusion that the obliques and the rectus abdominus were activated more during movements that required anti-flexion or stability to stop the body collapsing than it did during other simple ab isolation moves like the crunch.
The question then arises about what type of anti-flexion movements can we do that specifically isolate our abdominals without wasting time and effort like we do when we do 1000 crunches? If you can squat heavy or lift the wheels of your car off the ground you would not be able to do that without the strong supporting anti-flexion strength in your abs.
Simple movements like the Farmers Walk or The Plank are movements that work directly on this "core" strength of your anti-flexion ability. When you lift anything that is heavy the supporting muscles in your abs immediately react in order to stop you collapsing.
If you specifically want to isolate the rotation muscles of your abs like the obliques then you should do the Suitcase Deadlift or the one handed Farmers Walk where you will be isolating the obliques that support the one side of your body. The point is that there are plenty of anti-flexion movements that can be more beneficial than doing tons of crunches or sit-ups every day.
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