We’ll settle it right now: You need both. Because the body is in pain, it tends to hold it in a position where pain may be masked.There’s an ongoing debate about whether you need to train your abs with an extra load or just use high reps with body-weight exercises to make them stand out. Both back and neck pain may cause poor posture. This introduces unnecessary stress on the neck and strains the muscle, thus causing pain. This happens because the individual relies on their upper limb rather than their core to lift the body up. A common mistake among gym goers when doing crunches is pulling the head forward when lifting the shoulders off the ground. The hands are usually positioned at the back of the head when doing crunches. The hip flexors are attached to the lumbar spine, so when these muscles are tight, they pull on their attachments, hence causing low back pain. The hip is also placed in a flexed position, isometrically contracting. When doing crunches, the curved spine is pressed against the ground, which gives rise to an excessive external force that may cause injury if performed more often. Aside from possibly causing neck and back pains, it may also cause poor posture.īack pain from doing crunches may be caused by several factors. The position is held for a second before slowly lowering the feet back down.Ĭrunches, in whatever form or variation it may be done, poses some risks for injury especially when not done properly. The knees are then brought toward the face while lifting the glutes and lower back, but keeping the mid-back in contact with the ground. The feet are lifted off the ground until the thigh is perpendicular to the ground while maintaining a 90 degree knee flexion throughout the movement. The hands are placed at the side with the palms facing downwards. Reverse crunches start off by having the individual lie on the ground with the knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Also, because reverse crunches do not require any equipment, it may essentially be done anywhere. Reverse crunches allow the neck to be relaxed because the head is kept on the ground. Neck strain when doing crunches is usually caused by the pulling of the head forward by the hands. This assumes that doing reverse crunches may be easier for the spine. The amount of flexion range required to do a reverse crunch is lesser as compared to when doing cable crunches or even traditional crunches. Studies have shown that decreasing the amount of lumbar flexion when doing crunches reduces the stress on the intervertebral discs. Strengthening the core muscles thus helps stabilize the spine and spares it from excessive load. The core muscles help transfer loads from the upper to the lower body, and vice versa. The cable also keeps the abdominal muscles under constant tension which allows the muscles to work all throughout the range of motion.Ī cable crunch, as with a traditional crunch, enhances core strength and targets the rectus abdominis muscle while also recruiting the obliques. Using cable machines to do crunches permits the individual to adjust the weight according to their needs in order to gradually progress the exercise. As a result, the muscles adapt by synthesizing more of the contractile elements of a muscle, thus making it stronger to be able to handle the added stress. Overloading is putting greater stress on the muscle more than it is used to. It allows for an increase in resistance which enables the individual to overload a muscle. The available alternative exercises for the cable crunch include exercises that may be done with or without the use of added weights or equipment.ĭoing crunches on a cable machine offers several benefits over doing them on the floor. Learning how to properly perform a cable crunch is essential in understanding how alternative exercises are able to provide similar benefits. Alternative exercises such as the weighted crunch, reverse crunch, and the BOSU crunch also add variety to workout routines. Many of these alternatives may be done without the use of equipment and are thus useful when working out anywhere. However, there are multiple other exercises that provide the same benefits as that of the cable crunch, albeit without the use of a cable machine.Īlternatives to the cable crunch are exercises that engage the core with particular attention to the abdominals. The cable crunch is one such exercise that primarily works the rectus abdominis muscle which functions to flex the trunk. Exercises that target the abdominal muscles have long been popular due to the aesthetic definition they provide in order to gain what is commonly known as the six-pack abs.
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