What are the best ab exercises to develop six pack abs? The answer to this question seems to be forever changing. For example, the sit-up has completely fallen out of favor by the fitness community. In fact, the majority of fitness experts now declare that sit-ups are incredibly dangerous to you spine. Where was this opinion born? Did countless trainees injure their spines from performing this "treacherous" exercise? Luckily for most of us, that is not the case.
Trainers started chanting, "Sit-Ups are hazardous to your health" after clinging on to some studies findings. These studies have shown that sit-ups do stress the spine more than crunches do. Alright, I don't disagree with these particular findings. I also agree that biking uphill stresses the body more than biking downhill. Does this mean we should never pedal our bicycles up a hill? Of course not. What many "experts" missed here was the fact that all exercises stress the body. This stress is what persuades our body to get stronger from exercise.
Let's investigate the sit up a little further. The reason why the critics say sit-ups stress the spine more than crunches is because of the involvement of the hip flexors during sit ups. They state that this hip flexor activation leads to a compressive force in the spine, and therefore, should be avoided. Is this a gross overreaction, or do they have a point?
Taking into account that sit-ups have been performed by professional athletes and fitness buffs for decades without problems, it is clear there is no need to "press the panic button" when someone cranks out a few sit-ups. To further put your mind at ease, I can assure you that after 16 years as a fitness expert, I have never seen someone get hurt while doing a sit up variation.
I still hear many trainers say to me, "Ok, I'm convinced that sit-ups are not so dangerous now, but since crunches work the abs just as well, why even bother with sit-ups? Let's see why they feel this way and why they can miss out on some advantages of sit-up variations.
The truth is that the abs are only responsible for the beginning portion of the movement during a sit-up. Once you are in the finished "crunch" position, the hip flexors take over to finish the top portion of the sit-up. It should be noted that although the hip flexors provide the movement in the top range, the abs are still contracting hard. This contraction prevents your back from arching and contributes to the overall ab workout.
Something else to consider is that the sit-up burns more calories than crunches do. Working through a larger range of motion and integrating other muscles besides the abs, makes this possible. Remember, training your abs directly is only half the equation to having a six pack. The other part to this is reducing body fat to unveil your stomach. Burning additional calories will help contribute to this.
Although sit ups are not the best ab exercise, I do recommend them at times to any individual who fits the "sit up" criteria. The criteria are simple: no pre-existing back problems, and a solid base of abdominal strength. Couple that with proper form, and you will not have any problems!
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