Plank Vs. Crunch: Which Should you be Doing?

 

Let me first start this post off by saying...if you do only ab workouts, you will NOT, I repeat, WILL NOT, have that flat tummy you see in the magazines. Like all other areas of the body, if you want to blast fat, you need to add some cardio to your life and watch those pesky things called calories. Now, what an ab workout will do it help tone those muscles that you may end up seeing if you add all three components together (ab routine, cardio, and nutrition). Otherwise, you're only building muscle on top of existing fat. 

Now that we've clear up that common misconception, let's move onto which is better the crunch or the plank... As with any exercise move you perform, if you don't have correct form, it's worthless and is doing more harm than good. So when doing the plank or a crunch, do not arch your back. Keep your back flat the entire time. You may hear the term "pelvic tilt" if you've ever taken pilates. This term refers to the correct way to position your back and his to optimally engage your abs in the workout. 

So how do decide which is better? While many will argue one is better than the other, I say they are both equally important to add into your routine. Yeah, yeah. I'm that person, the neutral party. But it's true. The plank works more muscles so it's often considered superior to the crunch. But, while it works more muscles, it's not working the exact same muscles as the crunch. Let's look at each one individually. 

Plank

When performing the plank, you are working 20 muscles, held in contraction without moving your joints. This allows you tone without bulking and provides strength in your legs, butt, back, stomach, shoulders, and chest. Improving the strength of your core helps to stabilize your spine. 

Crunch

The crunch works 6-7 core muscles of the abdominals and legs. This exercise uses both concentric and eccentric contraction, the shortening and lengthening of your ab muscles to product muscle definition. There are so many variations of the crunch, you can do a full sit-up, use an exercise ball for stability training, incorporate weights, or any other option.  

In the end, what does all of this mean? It means that if there was one "miracle" ab exercise, we'd all be doing it non-stop to get the ever-popular six pack abs. But that's not the case. The plank and crunch complement each other. So when it's core training day, do various forms of the plank and crunch for maximum benefit.