Situps Vs. Ab Wheel

[Guest FixingTheWrongs]

Crunches are included in this. I've read a lot of articles that situps are not that great for fat burning. It would take 250,000 of them to burn one pound of fat, that I think works out to about one every second for three days and nights straight.

But what about abdominal muscle development? I personally feel that the ab wheel rolls I do give me a much more vigorous workout in less time than situps would plus several other muscle are worked in the prosess, but what would be better to try and get a six pack?

[john doe]

Pushups. Mens' style, not womens'.

[Bini]

I don't know what kind of shape you're in but I've heard that attempting to do sit-ups can be harmful if you don't do them properly.. Like cranking on your neck etc.. There's a form to it.. Anyway, I'd just use the ab wheel. Quicker and has results stat!

[Guest FixingTheWrongs]

Pushups. Mens' style, not womens'.

Yes pushups are good and I do quite a few every other day, I'm talking situps and ab wheels here and which is better at a core workout.

[john doe]

As Bini said, situps can be harmful, and most trainers don't recommend them much anymore. Crunches do pretty much the same thing with less stress on the neck. I suggest you visit your local fitness center and consult with a trainer to give you personalized advice on what different methods they recommend for your situation and body type.

[bytor2112]

If you want abs...it's all about diet and cardio. Lower your total % of body fat with cardio and diet and you will have abs. Try doing Ab Ripper X (P90X) video, it will give you serious abs...along with diet and cardio.

[bcguy]

I have heard alot of good things with p90x. But in reality, doing strength training would make a big difference. Also, biking up some seriously steep hills would also cause you to shed pounds.

One summer, my car broke down. I did not want to go out and buy another one so waited for one auction a month latter. I biked up a 460 feet hill in Seattle and by the end of the month, everything was getting smaller on me

[skalenfehl]

Sit ups are not harmful. That's a gimmick, which is pushed by someone trying to sell you something. Sit ups work the hip flexors mostly but the abs somewhat and the reason they hurt most people is because they have an imbalance in their core strength. In other words, they have weak lumbar muscles that cannot compensate for more active abdominal muscles to stabilize the spine during the exercise. Roll-outs are ideal for strengthening both the abdominal wall and the entire lumbar region including the posterior chain.

As a personal trainer, I can do multiple standing roll-outs because I have trained to do so to remove any weakness in the core, thus removing the pain in the lower back that is associated with doing sit ups. Furthermore, doing an infinite number of crunches does not necessarily burn fat. Burning fat and building muscle are two different processes and body fat is metabolized evenly throughout the body, not in any singular area. In other words, you cannot lose fat in the belly only and not the thighs and vice versa.

[Just_8Guy]

I like doing leg lifts. I think a good routine is to do at least 150 leg lifts per week.

[skalenfehl]

Also a great exercise for strengthening the hip flexors and building the core muscles. I bet you also feel it in your lower back. I presume you do them lying down.

[Wesmoney1]

Crunches and sit-ups primarily target the Rectus abdominus which is the classic "6 pack" muscle. The crunches, sit-ups, and hanging leg/knee raises really target this area for maximum hypertrophy. The ab wheel is great for strengthening the Transversus abdominus otherwise known as the TVA. This is a muscle that lies underneath the rectus abdominus and is not viewed as an aesthetic muscle but a stability muscle. Planks, ab roller, and stomach vacuum really work this muscle.

To get that six pack look the quickest and most effective thing to do is lower your body fat as low as possible. Remember, there is no such thing as spot toning. This means even 20,000 crunches a day won't give you a six pack if you're at an 18% body fat. Those fitness models that you see on the cover of Men's Health and similar magazines are generally in the 3-6% range. This is not a really healthy percentage to sustain.

I have been bodybuilding and powerlifting competitively since I was 14 and I generally can see my six pack at 10-12% body fat. It's a lot easier to sustain and healthier too.

[BenRaines]

Many have developed a six pack of ab muscles but don't show it because of body fat. As Skalenfehl has said several times there is no way to lose fat in one area of your body. I don't care what wrapping parties or other people say.

Muscle development and calories burned and calories consumed is what it is. I know it is overly simplified but again as Skalenhehl has said most of it is market hype.

Ben Raines

[SpiritDragon]

Any exercise done improperly can cause harm to the body.

Warning - this may get a bit technical... if your not into technical skip the following explanation.

However sit-ups and crunches do have a lot of top back-health experts speaking out against them. There are are a few reasons for this... first the motion itself puts the spine into flexion with great compressive load pushing the spinal discs posteriorly - this is a prime set-up to herniate discs. Also most people have faulty recruitment of their flexor chain (think all the muscles involved in curling up) and rely too heavily on their hip flexors (ilopsoas and rectus femoris) which have attachments in the lumbar spine which causes spinal extension instead of spinal flexion at the lumbar vertebrae. If the key abdominal muscles are not strong enough or activated with appropriate timing this leads to an even nastier circumstance where shear forces enter into the equation on top of the compressive forces making the sit-up even more hazardous (at least from a scientific perspective). Stuart Mcgill (a leading back health expert/researcher) has shown with various models how it is only a matter of time before the spine is worn out with repetitive spinal flexion. Many exercise professionals have successfully helped their clients/patients out of back-pain problems by using other methods of strengthening the core such as planks or other stability exercises. The key function of the core musculature is to stabilize the spine not to bend forward bringing the ribs and pelvis closer together. They all need to function together as a functional unit. When planks become easy you can progess to to stabilizing your spine while moving such as performing a roll-out with an ab-wheel.

Welcome back technical rant over

Back to your primary concern - getting abs. It has already been established that spot reduction is a myth. no amount of sit-ups, crunches or ab-wheel roll-outs will get you visible abs if you have too much fat covering the muscles. Cardio is a great way to shed pounds in conjunction with a sound diet. You do not have to confine yourself to treadmill runs or even long out-door runs if that is not your thing. It has been proven that high intensity intervals are more effective than steady-state cardio for shedding pounds. This could mean running sprint intervals or bike sprints, burpees or kettlebell swings. The most vital part is finding some kind of activity that you enjoy enough to do consistently and cutting down the junk food to a minimum. As for training the abs; planks are safer than crunches... and the ab-wheel is a solid core work-out option if you can handle it. Make sure not to let your back arch and return to the starting position if you feel like you are going to lose control. Start from your knees and only progress to doing them from your feet if you feel it is needed. You may not even need to do any direct abdominal work if you are sprinting or doing burpees or any other high intensity exercise that requires total body stability through dynamic motion. Once the fat comes off your abs will show.

Good Luck!

[skalenfehl]

Me at 43 years old (lower your volume a bit)...

Body Weight--Core & Upper Body - YouTube

(Is youtube video embedding available on this forum yet?)

[Guest]

Skal, I'm your age and I have to say... I salute you!!!

I can only imagine how your muscles look in leotards being able to do all those with amazing stability!

[skalenfehl]

Aw shucks, anatess.

Now I have to Google leotard.

(Googles). LOL, hey! Leotards are for girls!! I'll never put one on!