Make Stomach Crunches Part of an Overall Workout

If you have extra belly fat that you need to get rid of along with tightening your abs, then the reality is that you’ll need to include a full-body workout in addition to doing stomach crunches. It’s impossible to get tight abs just by stomach exercises alone, but that doesn’t mean you have to commit to boring workouts. Choose activities that exercise the large muscles in your body, and that you’ll enjoy enough to be able to stick with.

Why Stomach Crunches Are So Important

Stomach crunches will always be essential to getting flat abs, because they work on both the lower and upper abdominal muscles. An important set of muscles that they’re effective for is the rectus abdominals, which stretch from your ribs down to your hips. And the obliques, both external and internal, slope down the side of your body through your waist. This muscle set’s job is to rotate your torso in curling and twisting movements.

Besides tightening up your abs to give you a flat stomach, stomach crunches have an added benefit. If you suffer from back pain, toned abdominal muscles will take the pressure off your back and bring you a great deal of pain relief. The muscles in the human body are all connected in some way, and improving one area will always have an effect on an adjacent area.

Stomach Crunches – The Basics

To perform stomach crunches correctly, begin by lying flat on your back. Keep your arms at your sides and slowly bend your knees and point them at your chest. Keep your hips flat on the floor. Then slowly lift your shoulders off of the floor, and imagine that you are trying to point your rib cage toward your hips. If your abdominal muscles are weak you may only be able to move a few inches before you feel you’ve reached your limit. Listen to your body. Remember that your goal is to challenge your abs and slowly improve them, and what that takes will be different for everyone.

Reverse stomach crunches work your lower abs. To perform them correctly you want to be in the same starting position with your knees pointed toward your chest. This time you will keep your shoulders on the floor and slowly contract your abs, as if you are trying to point your knees just a little closer to your chest. The key to both forms of stomach crunches is to perform them slowly. Do not rush, and be sure to breathe deeply during the exercise.

All stomach exercises are helpful for toning your abs, but crunches are the most helpful of all. But remember that if you need to lose belly fat in addition to tightening your abs, you’ll need to make stomach crunches part of an overall workout to help you lose weight.