Sit-Ups Vs. Crunches: Which Are Better?
Sit-Ups Vs. Crunches: Which Are Better?

Strengthening your midsection is an important part of wellness, and most people have tried both sit-ups and crunches at some point. Sit-ups and crunches are both simple and effective options, but provide surprisingly different benefits.

Sit-ups

Sit ups

The main difference between sit-ups and abs is range of motion. Since performing a sit-up involves raising the entire torso from the ground, it has a broader range of motion and targets multiple muscles including the psoas, transverse abdominis, obliques, lower back, and rectus abdominis.

By working more muscles, sit-ups provide greater stability and strength benefits. However, they carry greater injury risk as many people struggle to not round the low back and stress the lumbar spine.

To perform a sit-up:

  1. Lie face-up with knees bent and feet flat on the floor
  2. Contract the core muscles and lift the torso off the ground
  3. Low with control, then repeat for several reps

Crunches

Crunches

With the back kept against the floor and only the shoulders lifted slightly off the ground, crunches involve much less range of motion. Although it focuses mainly on the rectus abdominis, this range of motion keeps the core contracted and isolated and provides a greater conditioning effect.

Crunches are ideal for people looking to define and strengthen their core. Crunches also cause less strain to the lumbar spine, but can result in neck pain if performed incorrectly with the neck overextended.

To perform a crunch:

  1. Lie face-up with knees bent and feet flat on the floor
  2. Contract the core muscles and lift the head and shoulder blades from the ground
  3. Lower with control, then repeat for 10 to 30 reps
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