At Kore Gallery we have a joke about doing 500 reps of crunches is too “80s” style.
You will get some results with that amount of repetition but crunches aren’t the most effective exercise you could be doing.
If it takes you 30, 40, 50 or more reps to reach the point where it starts feeling challenging, you’ve wasted a whole lot of time because you don’t really use the core muscles and just move the head up and down using more neck than everything else.
Another common mistake is to do a whole bunch of crunches to burn belly fat. The calorie burn from crunches is negligible. You’re building muscle, not burning fat. To burn belly fat we advise to do a healthy diet and add more movement in your life (cardio).
Some experts believe that high volumes of repetitive spinal flexion can cause damage to your lumbar spine and intervertebral discs, so make a change and check out some of these non-crunch ab-kicking alternatives.
- The roll up (a slow, precise move that stretches the spine and the back of the body and strengthens the abdominals)
- Leg circles on loops (which strengthen the hips moving your legs and improve core stability)
- Single-leg gluteus bridge (lie down on your back, with feet apart and lift your hips from the floor using just one foot as a base. Your core is working to keep your back sable without arching)
- Squat and Gluteus work (target the biggest muscle group you have and aim to work your abs to keep you balanced and strong on reformer)
Reformer Pilates should be a part of a well-rounded fitness plan because it stretches, strengthens, and aligns your body all at the same time. It also complements every other fitness endeavor because it prepares your body to move better in every way. Adding it into your routine will help you lift heavier weights, run faster, swim with better form, or even achieve that elusive arm balance in yoga.
