Abdominal Exercises
Are you doing them correctly?
I have been in the fitness industry for over 20 years. I have had my own private personal training studio for over 17 years. I have heard many tips and "one liners" that personal trainers like to use.
There are a lot of bad tips out there for doing a basic abdominal exercise.
We were taught years ago to look at the ceiling while abdominal crunching your torso to perform a basic crunch exercise. Why? Most people just get neck pain while working their abs, leaving them with the idea that their neck always hurts while they do their ab work.
I work with clients that are amazed that they can work their abs without neck pain.
The only place on the body you should feel while performing abdominal exercises are your abdominal muscles. This is a basic common sense exercise fact.
If you were taught different, you were taught wrong.
Think about it this way. When you are performing a bicep curl exercise, don't you only feel your bicep muscle? If you are feeling something other then just your bicep then you either have an injury or you are performing the exercise wrong.
The tip to look at the ceiling is something that I feel some personal trainers and exercise teachers just continue to say this comment out loud, because they heard it some where in the past.
If you are being told to look at the ceiling as you are doing crunches, stop. If you have a trainer telling you this, find another trainer. This person does not understand the basic function of the body. The best trainers not only understand what to do, but they need to know what "not to do".
Do you know there are some abdominal exercise that thicken the waistline? I don't know anyone who wants that. My female clients want to have a small waistline.
You are trusting your trainer with your body as you would a physical therapist. Physical therapist go to school much longer, unless you find a personal trainer who went to college.
Check your trainers education. Personal Trainer Certifications are just handing out. You can get one on the internet. You can buy 1 book and read it and take a written test.
Do you want this trainer training your body and taking a chance of short term or long term injuries? My answer would be, NO WAY.