What do you mean I shouldn’t do crunches? Never? But…

Yes, I have been asked this question many times.  Lets face it, people just LOVE their crunches.  I don’t know why – it doesn’t make sense to me.  Even before I knew the damage they could do to the recti, I knew that they hurt my neck muscles.  There is ALWAYS an abdominal bulge-out.  Even when people THINK they are bringing their stomach muscles in, they are not able to fully engage the abdominals because it is PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE to bring in the innermost abdominal muscle (TRANSVERSE) while doing a crunch.

In fact, the only REASON, in THEORY, to do a crunch is to SHORTEN the long stretched out recti muscles (outermost abdominal muscles – 6 pack muscles)  and make them strong, toned, and lean.

Well, a crunch will shorten the recti from the TOP by bringing your head off the ground, and a crunch will shorten the BOTTOM of the recti by bringing your legs to a bent position in essence tilting the pelvis.  HOWEVER, the pitfall is that it DOESN’T shorten the recti from the MIDDLE – which is the MOST important part.

Why doesn’t a crunch shorten the recti from the middle you ask?  Because it does NOT work the transversus abdominus – a.k.a transverse.

If the crunch does not work the transverse, or shorten the recti from the middle, is there ANY POINT in doing the exercises?

The answer is so VERY simple – absolutely not!!!

WHAT IS THE ANSWER?!?!?

Two things:

SEATED TUPLERS: Imagine your belly is a sideways elevator and the 1st floor is where your belly is normally at in its relaxed position. Bring your belly all the way back to your spine (5th floor) and hold it there for a second, then release to the 3rd floor (in between the 1st and 5th), then back to 5th floor again (squeeze and hold for a second) then back to 3rd floor. Continuing doing until you reach 100.

100 may seem like a lot, but a set of 100 only takes 2 ½ minutes. Do 5 sets a day, altogether, or spaced out, whatever is easiest. Do this exercise sitting down with firm back support. You should be able to feel this in your back, as it also works the lower lumbar muscles. This is the FASTEST way to repair your recti and bring them back together, closing the diastasis.

Yes you DO breathe. You “sniff” to bring air in, and COUNT as your exhale, which forces the air to work through your body.

HEAD LIFT: Lay on your back with your knees bent. Expand your belly to allow air to come into the body, Exhale, bring your bellybutton all the way to the spine (this is working the TRANSVERSE ABDOMINUS – the key to bringing in the recti). Hold the belly there and you slightly tilt your pelvus to bring the small of the back pressed into the floor, tuck the chin, and then lift up your head and bring it back down fairly quickly.

If your abdominals show any movement, then it means your TRANSVERSE is not quite strong enough. There should be no visible movement on your abdominals.

ONE LAST QUESTION: How do you get the transverse strong enough to do the headlift? THE SEATED TUPLERS – it is the fastest way because it strengthens your abdominals in a seated position, which is the MISSING LINK of abdominals. You will not have gravity working against you in a seated position. Then when you begin to do abdominals while laying on your back where gravity is working against you, you will already have a mind body connection to the muscle to tell if your transverse muscle is actually engaged.

So my question is WHY WOULD YOU DO A CRUNCH when there is really no benefit, and EVEN damage you can do to your stomach muscles (further splitting of the recti)?  Even if you CLOSED your diastasis, the gap, why would you then go back to an INFERIOR way?

Have you tried these?  Did you get stumped?  Did you feel the seated tupler exercise in your back or your kegel area (that would mean you are doing them right)?