Question about SITUPS...

[Capitol39]

Whenever I try to do situps/crunches, the muscles in the small of my back really start killing me.

Is this normal, or am I not doing the situps correctly? My abs seem like they could go for quite a bit longer, but the pain from the small of my back is so intense that I usually quit.

Also, should I brace my feet under a heavy object, or does doing this just make me use my leg muscles more than my abs?

 

[NEWBIE101]

Originally posted by Capitol39
Whenever I try to do situps/crunches, the muscles in the small of my back really start killing me.

Is this normal, or am I not doing the situps correctly? My abs seem like they could go for quite a bit longer, but the pain from the small of my back is so intense that I usually quit.

Also, should I brace my feet under a heavy object, or does doing this just make me use my leg muscles more than my abs?

Yes, it's normal. Do some stretching of your lower back before doing crunches. Don't do situps, they can be damaging to your back.

 

[Eternal]

Re: Re: Question about SITUPS...

Originally posted by NEWBIE101
Yes, it's normal. Do some stretching of your lower back before doing crunches. Don't do situps, they can be damaging to your back.

I've found that doing crunches hurts my back more than sit-ups even though I stretch and I do back excersices.

 

[NEWBIE101]

Re: Re: Re: Question about SITUPS...

Originally posted by crazykid
I've found that doing crunches hurts my back more than sit-ups even though I stretch and I do back excersices.

Maybe that's just you. But it's the other way around for most people.

 

[random afc]

Find an alternative to sit-ups. believe me, there are tons of them out there. in fact, sit-ups/crunches are some of the least effective exercises for toning abs. find an exercise with little movement (isokinetics) or something that puts little strain on your lower back. good luck

 

[NEWBIE101]

Originally posted by random afc
Find an alternative to sit-ups. believe me, there are tons of them out there. in fact, sit-ups/crunches are some of the least effective exercises for toning abs. find an exercise with little movement (isokinetics) or something that puts little strain on your lower back. good luck

What?

First of all, there is no such thing as toning a muscle. It comes from a low bodyfat percentage. It doesn't matter how strong your abs are, noone is gonna ever see em if you have a layer of fat over them.

Crunches are a great exercise for the upper abs though. You can just do some leg raises or reverse crunches to hit the lower ones and you'll be fine provided you're cutting properly.