ANOTHER OPTION FOR CRUNCHES

The purpose of the abdominal muscles is to protect the spine. Working the abdominal or core muscles helps keep your back and hips in a neutral position. This is especially important when doing difficult movements during exercise in order to prevent the risk of injury. When you do a crunch, you feel the abdominal muscles shortening because you are making the muscles stronger. However, there is a different movement you can try if you prefer not to do crunches. They are called planks. A basic plank is holding a pushup position on your forearms. For a side plank, rotate 90 degrees onto one arm on the side of your body. Hold each position for 30 seconds. Slowly work your way up to 60 and then 90 seconds. Doing this will help you strengthen your abs!