Stop Doing Squats or Crunches and Do the Plank Instead.
Squats and twists may be routine exercises recommended over the years to strengthen your core, but it might be time to give up these movements for the rest of your body.
According to Big Think , both Harvard University and the US Navy are calling for a bar instead of squatting and crunching because it “measures core strength more accurately and because it does this by keeping the arrow of the body straight using only the support. the toes and forearms do not force the muscles to tense when moving. “
Crunches are terrible for the back .
The bar targets more muscle groups without straining your back or lower spine. Big Think says the plank mimics your natural movement and alignment (ears above your shoulders and hips above your ankles), while squats and curls force you into positions you don’t want to take every day.
If your core is strong enough to do push-ups, do them instead of planks for extra strength training, but feel free to skip crunches anyway because your back is in line.
Why are we still doing crunches? | Big think