The Era of Sit-ups has Ended
Sit-ups have always been a staple in the gym. The armed forces used it as a Physical Readiness Test (PRT’s), and people of all ages swore by them to get “rock hard, 6-pack abs” to impress their crush. What we are learning as this exercise is studied more, is that sit-ups and crunches may actually be doing more harm than good to the human body.
I know it’s a hard pill to swallow since so many people have sworn by sit-ups and crunches and have even SEEN good results. The problem is that the immediate results don’t necessarily outweigh the long term effects. When people think of the core, they immediately think “Abs!” However, the core is actually made up of about 35 muscle groups that connect the ribcage to the pelvis and hip area, keeping our spine healthy and strong. The main purpose of the core is to stabilize the spine, hips, and shoulders while the arms and legs are moving during functional movements— its sole purpose is not to look good in a bathing suit. Having a strong core will spare the spine from excessive loads and it will help transfer force from the lower body to the upper body, and vice versa. Think about standing up straight while walking— a very simple task most of us take for granted. Your spine is simply a bunch of small bones (vertebrae) stacked on top of one another like a set of legos. As you’re walking, you are creating a force with your legs and your upper body stays right over top of your hips without swaying, leaning, or falling over. That is your core keeping you upright and stable. That is the main purpose of the core at an everyday level. So why are sit-ups bad?
To execute a sit up, you sit down on the ground, bend your legs with your feet planted, you place your hands behind your neck, and you pull with your abdominals to lift your back off the ground. Yes, that can work your abs, but this movement forces you to push your flexed spine into the ground and work your hip flexors (the muscles that run from your thighs to your lumbar vertebrae in your lower back). If you’ve read my blogs in the past, you know that we spend a lot of time loosening up those hip flexors because when they are too tight or strong, they pull on the lower back and cause pain. So most of the time when people do sit-ups, they are overworking their hip flexors and setting themselves up for lower back pain. As I stated above, the purpose of the core is to stabilize the spine and keep it straight, so we should try to avoid putting it in a flexed or rounded position. When you are pulling your back off the ground, you are also putting an excessive strain on your neck! The US Military has actually eliminated sit-ups in their PRT’s because they found that 56% of all injuries from the “old fitness test” administered by the Army, were directly due to sit-ups! Lastly, this movement, even when done right, only isolates just a few groups of muscles in the core. A strong core needs to work together as one for walking, running, throwing, etc. An unbalanced core creates an unbalanced body and that opens the door to injury.
THERE IS A SOLUTION!
Kasey Keith performs a “Banded Dead Bug” as an anti-extension exercise!
Fortunately for everyone that comes to Incontrera Strength and Conditioning (ISC), you don’t have to worry about these issues because we train the core in a number of different ways that are both safe, and effective. First and foremost, we are working the core any time we are training with heavy weights. The core has to work to stabilize and control that weight, but if we want to do a few exercises that focus on the core, we are going to train with three movement patterns: anti-extension, anti-rotation, and anti-flexion.
Anti-extension is referring to when the spine arches up or extends backwards. Extension will naturally occur during most daily movements but the problem arises when there is too much extension in the spine. A couple of ways we train anti-extension are with planks, or an ISC favorite — banded dead bugs. Everyone knows a basic front plank — laying down flat on your stomach and then holding yourself up by your elbows and toes and keeping your whole body inline. This works your entire core and requires you to keep your body stable, not let your hips drop, and not round your spine.
Banded dead bugs are when we attach a band to a rack and you lay on your back with your head closest to the band. You grab the band and pull it over your face so it's tight, and then you bend your knees in the air so your legs make 90º angles at the hip and knee. Then, without letting your back arch or ribs flare up, you extend one leg at a time and bring it back to 90º. This will torch the abs while keeping your hips in a neutral stance, and strengthen all your stabilizer muscles in your shoulders holding that band tight! Front planks and banded dead bugs are really good and challenging core workouts when done properly.
Stephen Decatur 3 sport athlete, Joseph Buxbaum, performs a “Pallof Press” variation with a plate attached to add perturbation as an example of an anti-rotation exercise.
Anti-rotation exercises refer to exercises that will make the hips and spine resist rotation. In just about any sport, it is important to have a powerful rotation. To optimally train for rotational power, you must first be able to control and or prevent rotation. This allows you to control the power created in your lower body and transfer it to your upper body while reducing the risk of injury. One of our favorite ways to work this at ISC is by using the Pallof Press. The Pallof Press is when you strap a band to a rack or something sturdy and grab it with both hands at your torso standing sideways. You then step out until the band is tight while standing in a good athletic position—. slight bend in the knees, feet shoulder width apart, and hips slightly hinged or pushed back with your ribs down. You then press your hands forward and away from your body. The band will be pulling you, trying to make you twist or rotate but the challenge is to not let yourself twist. Press your hands fully out, pause for a second, and bring your hands back in. Make sure you hit both directions to strengthen both sides. There are countless variations of this exercise. This is definitely a staple at ISC and for good reason!
Finally you have the anti-flexion exercises. Anti-flexion exercises refers to the lateral bending in the lumbar spine. Think about carrying a heavy suitcase in your right hand so that your back bends and your right shoulder is lower than your left. That is not a good position. When you plant your foot on the ground to change direction, your momentum is going to want to carry your shoulders forward. You will likely lose a step trying to accelerate the other way while your upper body is still trying to catch up. Our favorite and correct way to work this exercise is with suitcase walks—aka single arm farmer walks. This exercise is very simply holding a heavy weight in one hand, chest up and shoulders back, all while walking. The trick is to not let the weight win and force you to slump over. You do not want to overcompensate either, and lean away from the weight. A good tip I often share is to keep the nose over the belly button so that you can keep a nice straight spine.
In summary, there are hundreds of variations of different exercises that will work to strengthen the core, in a safe way, and give you that tight and strong look we all desire. The goal is, and always will be, to get the most out of a training session without exercises that are known to injure people. If six pack abs are your main goal, just remember - “Abs are made in the kitchen!” You can’t outtrain a bad diet! If becoming a better athlete and optimizing your training program is your goal, give us a call or shoot us a message and we will get you set up with a program that works!