Slinky-Dinky:: crunches for your core

Remember The Slinky? "Who walks the stairs, without a care, it shoots so high in the sky....everyone knows its Slinky." What a catchy song!

Annnyway...The physics of a Slinky are such that applying a compressive force on one side allows the opposite side to open up or fan out, if you will. This same sort of logic can be applied to a crunch/curl up if performed properly. The required 'compressive force' to the front of the body in order to allow the back of the spine to open up is produced by the muscles on the front side of our trunk. Please refer to my detailed instructions on performing a partial curl up as a reference for proper crunching, or 'curling up'.

For a crunch/curl up to be performed properly:

• The entire front of your trunk should be contracting to lift your head and shoulders off the floor. Your muscles begin just beneath your collar bone and span the length of your trunk down into your pelvis. Even though we tend to think of these muscles as segregated elements, in truth, they all attach onto one another, almost forming a 'sheet' which covers the front of the body.
  
  Too often while performing crunches, individuals strain their neck by overusing the neck muscles to lift their head, rather than connecting through the trunk to allow the bigger muscles to assist in the lifting.
  
  FIX IT:
  
  
  
  1. Assuming the 'crunch position', keep your hands by your side.
     
  2. Think of a weight scale with your head on one end and the other end remaining empty.
     
  3. Lift your head as if sandbags were being placed on your chest bone, allowing your head to lift up from the muscular force generated in your trunk rather than pulling through your teensy neck muscles.
     
  4. Notice the difference in movement strategies. Did you raise higher, could you hold your head up longer? Did you feel your abdominals hard at work?
     
  
  


• The spine should be opening through the back in a sequential manner. As your trunk muscles contract to lift your head up and around your shoulders (think of a C curve), your spine should open up in a top down fashion to further the movement.
  
  Common mistake: our spine will 'hinge' at a specific spinal segment rather than distributing the movement through subsequent segments. Excessive spinal compression in one joint places us at high risk for back injury and therefore should be avoided.
  
  FIX IT:
  
  
  
  1. Rather than placing your hands on your chest or behind your head, begin with them straight above your head. In this position, pay special attention to your low back position (re-visit the grape method if necessary).
     
  2. Begin the motion by lifting your arms up until they reach about ear height at which point your head should kick into motion via a proper trunk contraction as listed above.
     
  3. With the arms coming around in a semi-circular motion, your forcing your ribs to roll around to facilitate proper movement in the T spine or mid back.
     
  4. Do you feel your ribs moving? Are you feeling a release though the back of your body to allow your spine to move?
     
  
  


• Your legs should be relaxed down on the floor (i.e. they should NOT pop up as you lift your upper body). If you need to stabilize your legs to prevent them from popping up as you crunch, then you are overusing your hip flexor muscles. The likely cause of this over-recruitment is abdominal inadequacy. If your body can't use your abdominals to pull your trunk up, then it will use the next best thing and in this case, it is your hip flexors.
  

FIX IT:



1. Before beginning the movement, think of allowing your hip bones to sit back down into the socket. In other words, allow them to sink down into the floor.
   
2. As you lift up, only go as high as your trunk will carry you. Going any higher without proper muscle control can lead to injury.
   

Remember that your abdominals are being challenged while performing activities such as: push-ups, lunges, reverse planks, squats, Leg Drop, plank plus many others.

What did you experience while performing these movements? DO you feel a difference in the movement? Will you continue to perform crunches (or curl ups) or are you going to switch to other ways to challenge your abs?