Nobody likes abdominal fat. It plagues us, and we do anything and everything to eliminate it. How do most people attack the side fat?
Crunches, millions of painful crunches.
You may or may not be surprised to find out that crunches can be pretty bad for you. New research using pig cadavers has uncovered the dangerous side of crunches, an abdominal exercise that some argue should be thrown and replaced with a fat-trimming diet.
SHARE this important article with your Facebook friends — everybody does crunches.
It seems obvious that stomach crunches should be your go-to exercise to develop defined abs.
New research is beginning to uncover how bad stomach crunches are for your spine.
You can imagine how repeated flexing of the spine in this motion could eventually wear it down.
When scientists analyzed the leading causes of injury in the Army Physical Fitness Test, crunches were responsible for 56%.
Out of all possible injuries, the majority resulted from stomach crunch exercises. That is a REALLY bad sign.
Research using pig cadavers is beginning to uncover why exactly crunches are bad for your spine.
A scientist from the University of Waterloo, Stuart McGill, has done countless experiments using deceased pigs to determine the exact consequences of the typical biomechanics of stomach crunches.
Pigs were specifically chosen as they have a higher level of structural similarity to human spines than other animals do with humans.
The conclusions drawn from Dr. McGill's research is somewhat shocking...
Crunches can mess with your discs, in a bad way.
Dr. McGill found that after hours of repeated spine movements that were similar to stomach crunches, the discs in the pig spine started to bulge. He argues that the same process could take place in humans and may result in a herniated disc.
While the study did involve multiple hours of movement, with thousands of repetitions, it's still quite concerning.
It's true, even the strongest dudes at the gym take breaks. Regardless, years of crunches may have the same effect on humans.
Some evidence suggests that it isn't JUST the crunches that wear down the spine, genetics may also play a role.
A study following multiple sets of twins over many years found that if one sibling had a sedentary job and the other had a physically demanding job, they usually had the same level of back problems. It may be the case that stomach crunches do hurt your spine, but more so for some people. Does your family have a history of back problems?
One potential way to reduce the stress on your spine is to make sure your form is on point.
Make sure to avoid bending your neck when you are on the upswing of a stomach crunch. You want your abdomen to be aligned with your neck at all times. The whole point of a crunch is to push your body up, not touch your forehead to your knees. Also, moderation is always important.
The struggle continues to achieve perfect washboard abs. You may not have to worry about doing too many ab crunches, though. After all, some people say that abs are made in the kitchen.
SHARE this important article with your Facebook friends who do way too many.
0 comments: