TO CRUNCH OR NOT TO CRUNCH

Have you ever wondered why some of the flattest stomachs at the gym belong to folks who never do a single crunch, sit-up, or leg raise? And what about that guy with the keg-sized beer belly who's been doing nothing except abdominal exercises three times a week for the last four years? Shouldn't he be the proud owner of a "washboard" by now?


The truth is that your beloved Swiss-ball crunches and Russian twists might not be as useful as you think in the pursuit of that elusive six-pack. In fact (are you ready for a shock?), some of my clients never perform direct abdominal work. That's because their cores get plenty of work from big compound exercises like squats, deadlifts and pull-ups, and from some of my favorite "finishers" like plate pushes, mountain climbers and kettlebell swings. (I'll admit that I do allow some of my clients to perform a few sets of direct abdominal work, but only because they've convinced themselves that a workout isn't complete until they they've "worked" their abs. Although I don't think a few sets of crunches will hurt, I certainly believe that valuable training time could be spent more productively.)

Of course, even the world's strongest abs won't look too impressive if they're covered up by a thick layer of nasty ol' fat. And, conversely, even somebody who never exercises can have a decent-looking midsection. Don't believe it? Just watch an episode or two of "Cops" and check out the shirtless crackheads. Those guys probably don't visit the gym on a regular basis because they're too busy robbing convenience stores and begging for spare change. Their stomachs are flat and defined because they don't overeat. (Of course, their toothless faces are usually pretty ugly, but, hey, nobody's perfect, right?) To a crackhead, getting high is much more important than consuming a large pepperoni pizza and a pitcher of beer.

No, I'm not suggesting that you become a drug addict so you can have "crackhead abs" (unless you're also looking for a great way to lose your teeth, look much older than you are, and appear in a future episode of "Cops"). The crackhead example was just my off-the-wall way of saying that all the exercise in the world won't produce blue-ribbon abs if you continue to eat too much.

Here are several articles that can take the mystery out of developing a flat, strong stomach. After reading them, you might just decide to ditch the crunches altogether.

http://articles.elitefts.com/articles/training-articles/two-reasons-for-throwing-out-crunches-and-sit-ups/ http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=2397891 http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/a/flatabs.htm http://www.ehow.com/i/#article_5218664 http://fitnessblackbook.com/muscle-building/why-you-should-include-chin-ups-and-pull-ups-in-your-workout-routine/

Okay, this last link doesn't really contain any useful information, but it might make you laugh. Back in 2001, before I decided to devote the rest of my life to the relentless pursuit of physical perfection, I wrote this column about a torturous device called the Ab Wheel:

http://markmayfield.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/a-washboard-stomach-for-9-99-abs-olutely-not/