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Anonymous
I have two questions about sit ups /fit/.

1# I heard that they fuck up your back, thats why everyone does crunches nowadays. Y/N?
2# Are they effective at building up core strengh?
>> Anonymous
Hanging leg raises!
>> Anonymous
I have to roll on my tailbone to do situps, hurts like a bitch.
Crunches kill your abs just fine.
>> Anonymous
Ok, so people say don't do sit-ups because they use your hip flexors too much, but why don't leg raises use them even more? Seems like there's more hip-flexing action going on.
>> Anonymous
>>192870

I'm not really interested in just targeting the abs, I have a six pack as it is, I want to the target the whole core section of the body.
>> Anonymous
Leg raises and sit ups primarily work the hips. Leg lifts put huge shear loads on the spine. Check out Dr. McGill's spine books if you're interested in safe, high performance core training. Short version: skip any core exercise that involves loading the spine with long levers, or movement of the lumbar spine. BUt, you won't listen, so have fun fucking yourself up.

BTW, I know all this because my spine is fucked.
>> Anonymous
1) Yes, a full situp can fuck up your lower back (I didn't know until I did it - took months to recover). This will ONLY happen if you try to throw yourself up with momentum instead of using control and your abs. It's easy to lose form, maybe without noticing, once your abs become too fatigued to actually lift you anymore (this is what I did)
2) Yes, but crunches are fine too. A full situp will do things like recruit the hip flexors. If you're going STRICTLY abs, crunches are probably a safer alternative.
>> Anonymous
>>192883
Your core is a lot more than your abs, you can work your obliques, transverse abdominis, erector spinae and hip flexors, among others.
Exercising your obliques is pretty obvious; you work your TVAs by basically sucking in your stomach and holding, without holding your breath; your erector spinae (lower back) is worked by supermans and hyperextension - wouldn't recommend using weights for those
>> Anonymous
for all you pansies that say leg lifts hurt your back try LIFTING YOUR HEAD OFF OF THE FLOOR (like you've done a crunch, just keep the head and shoulders up)
Also, put your hands, palm down, under your upper thigh/lower ass and use your hands/forearms as a seat.
This takes LOADS of pressure off the spine (or at least alters the curvature into a less painful position).
Enjoy your leg lifts now.
>> Anonymous
The problem is not that that people are just doing crunches improperly or that crunches will cause you back problems. This is actually the exact opposite of the case, but a common myth.

The problem is your core muscles are NOT JUST your pecs and abs and obliques and hip flexors ,etc. You've also got your lower back and upper back. Now the problem comes mostly from not working out your lower back in tandem with your abs. If you do things like supermans or other lower back exercises, you won't have the problem. It's only when your abs are dispoportionality stronger then your back muscles that you run into this problem.
>> Anonymous
>>192925

You know, that does make it a shitload more comfortable.