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Do I Need To Do Crunches

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FitBudd

The classic crunch exercise is about lying down on your back and then going up and down, exerting pressure on your abs. It is one of the best exercises that helps you in getting that famous six-pack ab. But people have several misconceptions about different ab exercises, such as crunches. Read on to learn more:

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Do I Need To Do Crunches? 3 Things to Know About Ab Exercises

You surely know about crunches if you are into exercising, especially ab exercises. The classic crunch exercise is about lying down on your back and then going up and down, exerting pressure on your abs. It is one of the best exercises that helps you in getting that famous six-pack ab. But people have several misconceptions about different ab exercises, such as crunches.

Thus, here are three essential things that you should know about ab exercises:

1. Losing Abdominal Fat through Ab Exercises is a Myth

It's a misconception that rigorous ab exercises will help you lose belly fat. Ab exercises such as different types of crunches are only about increasing the muscle strength of the ab and the surrounding area, such as the back and the side muscles. You get six-pack abs using crunches only when you already have an abdomen that is not fat and can easily mold into the right shape.

If you are looking toward a flat belly, you must also perform other activities to lose weight throughout the body. It's because when fat throughout the body loses, the extra fat from your abdomen moves to other parts of the body to create a balance. So, you need to indulge in options such as weight training and cardio exercises. Along with the exercises, you also need to follow a low-calorie diet.

Certain people struggle hard to lose abdomen fat even after following the above methods. This is because of various factors like genetics, hormones, or following a sedentary lifestyle. If you're experiencing anything of this kind, you must undertake an expert's advice.

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2. Focus on Quality rather than Quantity

Most people still believe that doing as many crunches as possible in one go can help them achieve better results. But the fact is that your ab muscles are similar to any other muscles in your body. Hence, it is not about the number of ab exercises you are doing but the quality you are following.

Any ab exercise is not just about offering you good ab shape. There are also other functions of the ab muscles, and these are:

Providing support to your back
Creating a proper posture
Allowing you to move swiftly

Thus, it is essential to know how to do crunches or any other ab exercises efficiently to have healthy ab muscles instead of just having attractive ab muscles.

Knowing the right form to avoid hurting your back or any other body part is very important. The ideal way is to lie down on your back in a relaxed position first, with your knees bending, then exerting pressure on your core ab muscles so that your back pushes the floor, allowing you to lift from your shoulders. Also, if you want accurate results, combining different ab exercises is essential instead of focusing on just one exercise.

3. Mistakes to avoid for Ab Exercises

While many people attend the gym to train their muscles, some individuals prefer to exercise at home. Unfortunately, such people may end up making several mistakes unknowingly, due to which either they might hurt themselves or may not get the desired results.

If you are starting for the first time, you must focus on crunches for beginners and then proceed with other forms of ab exercises. Beginners can start their ab exercising with some of the most common crunches like-

Basic crunch
Bicycle crunch
Butterfly Sit-up
Toe Touching Crunch
Bird-Dog Crunch
Jackknife Crunch

Once you have expertise in the beginner's exercises, you can move on to the next level with options such as standing crunches, vertical crunches, and others.

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Most people usually start their ab exercises at home by browsing for queries like how to do crunches at home. Still, while watching online videos, they typically ignore the common mistakes they mustn't make. So, here are some of the common mistakes that you should be careful about while performing crunches at home.

Equipment for Ab Exercises

You may see advertisements selling different gadgets and equipment for your ab exercises. However, it is very important to understand that to perform ab exercises such as crunches, you do not require any special equipment. You can perform crunches and other ab exercises just with the help of your body weight. It's just that you must know the right form of doing it.

The Proper Way

A lot of people hurt themselves while doing crunches because they have been doing it in the wrong way. The right way is to exert pressure on your torso and lift the body smoothly. But while applying pressure on your shoulder and neck to lift your head, you must be careful as any wrong move can hurt your neck and back badly.

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The Breathing

Ab exercises are not just about physical movement but also about breathing exercises. One common mistake that people make is to hold their breath while lifting their bodies. For example, while doing crunches, you must go slow to breathe in and out regularly. You must release your breath while you are crunching up and then inhale when you are crunching down.

A lot of individuals complain that they are not able to gain the desired results from ab exercises. It happens only because the fundamental conceptions are wrong. Hence, you must understand and figure out if the exercise you're performing is the right one and if it's benefitting you or not. When you have the correct facts, getting the right results with the right exercise becomes quite convenient.