Crunch Time

Crunch Time Exercises Ab Training Tips	Page 1 of 3 • Next

Watch late-night infomercials or peruse the itness section of your nearest bookstore, and you’d think the crunch is one of the more horri ic exercise-related tortures ever devised. apparently, there are numerous ways to sculpt your midsection without having to do any “dreaded” crunches, a promise made as if the mere thought of the move sends gym-goers retreating to the exits. But is that really the case? Is the crunch that awful? The crunch and its variations are actually some of the most ef icient and effective ways to contract your abdominal muscles, which are put to work when you bring your upper body to your lower, or vice versa. A good measure of an ab exercise is whether it shortens the distance between your lower rib cage and your pelvis — if it does, you’re contracting your abs directly. So instead of discarding this valuable move, embrace it. Because all the late-night gadgets in the world can’t improve on this simple exercise.

The Workout, Step By Step

This workout makes use of four crunch variations, and it finishes with an isometric hold that serves as a strong finishing move. First up, the double crunch, in which you bring both ends of your body together simultaneously — a great way to focus on the upper and lower portion of the abs. (The upper abs work slightly harder when you bring your upper body toward your lower, as in a standard crunch; the lower abs are emphasized in any exercise in which your lower body comes toward your upper, as in a reverse crunch.)

Next up is a weighted crunch, which puts the focus on your upper abdominal region. Just a quick note: You may want to do this workout a few times without the weight as you build up your ab strength. From there, you’ll do a reverse crunch for lower abs, then a side crunch to score a direct hit on your obliques, which run down each side of your torso.

Finally, as mentioned earlier, you’ll finish with a noncrunching exercise. The plank is an isometric hold and serves as an excellent end to an ab workout because it helps ensure that you’ve thoroughly taxed the muscle group. Once you can no longer hold the “plank” position, you can be positive that your abdominals have been tested to their limits and are ready to shift into recovery-and-development mode.

The Best Things in Life

This workout is balanced, in that it works the three key areas of your mid-section. That makes it a good option whether you work abs once, twice or three times a week. However, if you have a particular problem area — for instance, many people find that their lower abs tend to lag in strength and shape — you could do this workout once or twice a week and add a third session that solely focuses on that trouble spot.

With that, we hope you find the crunch a worthwhile tool in your workout arsenal. While others around the world are reciting their credit-card numbers over the phone in a desperate attempt to buy their way to a contoured, well-defined six-pack, you can rest easy knowing that your much more discerning — and economical — efforts are the best value in fitness.

SAMPLE SPLITS

Abs are a relatively simple bodypart to work into a training split because they essentially can be placed at the end of any other workout. The split below is just one of many possible combinations. Keep in mind, it's best to always do them last — if you tire out your abs first, you put yourself at risk for injury on heavy compound moves (such as squats) during which you depend on core strength to maintain proper form.

(day/bodypart(s) trained)

• Monday - Chest, Biceps, Abs
• Tuesday - Thighs, Calves
• Wednesday - Off
• Thursday - Shoulders, Triceps, Abs
• Friday - Back
• Saturday - Off
• Sunday - Off, or Repeat Cycle From Day No. 1

Crunch Time Exercises Ab Training Tips	Page 1 of 3 • Next