Trying to Strengthen Your Core? Sit-ups and Crunches Are Just the Start.
Disclaimer: There’s nothing wrong with sit-ups and crunches. In fact, we recommend doing at least a few of these from time to time.
However, this isn’t enough to build the strong, healthy abdominal muscles you want. There are a few reasons you should diversify your ab routine:
- Crunches and sit-ups only work your abdominal muscles. The reality is that developing a strong core requires you to work on your pelvic muscles, lower back muscles, obliques, and more. Crunches are a good start, but you’re going to have to mix things up if you’re going for overall core health.
- Crunches can cause or worsen back pain. While traditional crunches are great for your outer abdominal muscles, the motion associated with crunches requires you to round your back and pull your neck forward, which can be harmful for people with preexisting back issues or who may be predisposed to injuries such as herniated discs. If you fall into either of those categories, there are plenty of other motions that will help you build a strong core without increasing your likelihood of sustaining a serious injury, such as standing ab exercises, which allow your spine to maintain its natural S-shape.
- Crunches take a lot more time to produce results. If you’re looking for faster, better results, crunches may not be the best go-to ab exercise. There are plenty of others that will help strengthen your core more quickly while allowing you to work multiple muscle groups at once.
Core strength is often critical to recovery and preventing further injury. If you are noticing that your overall strength is decreasing or you are working to regain strength in the aftermath of an injury, accident, or illness, connecting with an experienced physical therapist may be a great way to do so.
Physical Therapists Serving Aberdeen & Monmouth County
At ProFysio Physical Therapy, we can help you figure out how to get past your injury and limitations, rebuild strength, and protect your health for years to come. Whether you are recovering from a surgery, accident, or illness, we are prepared to help you identify the root cause of your pain and fortify yourself against further injury by regaining strength and reinforcing healthy patterns of motion. Connect with a member of our team as soon as possible to maximize and shorten your recovery time and benefit from the insight of our experienced physical therapists in Aberdeen.
Call us today at (732) 333-6360 or contact us online to schedule an appointment.