Sit ups vs Crunches

Posted byWonderWoman & FitPosted inMisc Blog Post

Ab workouts. Two exercises used for the wrong reasons because people are misinformed. People believe that by doing sit ups and crunches everyday, you will get abs. Well truth is you have to first worry about getting rid of the fat that is covering your abs, because sit ups and crunches are used to strengthen the abdominal area not lose weight there. Now that you know that tid bit of information, I wanted to talk about about these two exercises; how they differ and how they should be done correctly. 

Sit ups:

  • Works multiple muscles (chest, hip flexors, lower back, neck) 
  • do not specifically target stomach fat
  • high risk of lower back and neck injuries
  • more range of motion in use
  1. lay down on your back
  2. Bend legs, place feet firmly on the ground
  3. cross your hands to opposite shoulders (or behind the ears without pulling the neck)
  4. curl upper body all the way up towards your knees, exhale as you lift
  5. lower yourself down at a slow rate to the starting position, inhale as you lower.
Crunches:
  • Muscle isolation (work only the abdominal muscles)
  • Do not burn fat
  • strengthens the core (obliques and lower back included)
  • can cause back pain
  1. lay down on your back
  2. bend legs and stabilize lower body
  3. cross hands to opposite shoulders or hands behind ears without pulling the neck
  4. lift your head and shoulder blades from the ground, exhale as your rise
  5. lower, returning to start point. Inhale as your lower
Both of these exercises are useful in developing and strengthening core muscles. A strong core can help with posture and balance.   People whom have injuries to their neck, and lower back should not partake in neither of these exercises.  In the battle of which one is more beneficial, in my opinion, I like crunches better, because I feel like they do more work in my core and the risk of injury is less because I am not straining those areas. I would love to hear what you guys think, do you like either exercise, do you like one more than the other? 
Your fitness blogger,
Shay-lon xxxxx

Published by WonderWoman & Fit

You can assume I have a love for fitness & a love for Wonderwoman -- both assumptions are correct. I am an ACSM certified personal trainer of 8+ years -- I currently reside in Ohio and live a simplistic life at the age of 29. If I am not lifting, I am eating, sleeping, traveling, exploring, or movie watching. I recently moved during a pandemic, now I am focused on self care (self love), building a business of my own in personal training, becoming a professional blogger, starting a podcast and doing things that make me happy! I am a sister, daughter, and loyal friend --- I love everyone's dog and I am on a mission to pet as many dogs as possible everywhere I go! LOL. My mission is to talk health (physical/mental), design programming, motivational speak, learn, grow, prosper, build others and make as many people smile as possible because I want nothing more than to be the change I seek in the world.

5 thoughts on “Sit ups vs Crunches”

    1. Hey Lynne,
      Crunches it is, I believe depending on someones fitness level, they should start off between 15-20 reps, as time progresses and the person feels more comfortable I would recommend increasing by 10 reps. I normally can do 50 reps per set of crunches, but I normally only do 100 reps total if I do them. I have heard of people doing 200 reps and higher, but I see no reason to do that unless I am trying to challenge myself and go above and beyond; which is fine! but a lot of work.
      Shay-lon

      Liked by 1 person

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