Every workout program I ever did up until becoming pregnant, and even after my first pregnancy, involved the crunch and all sorts of its variations. When I thought ab work I thought crunch. I became a personal trainer and I still used the crunch with my first clients. As I pursued a specialty in women’s fitness and became pregnant again, I did more research about what’s best for my changing body and for my postpartum clients.
And that’s when I fell out of love with the crunch.
Why crunches weren’t my favorite to begin with:
1. Crunches aren’t the most comfortable exercise, especially for those who suffer from neck pain.
2. They’re pretty pointless to do while pregnant, and I always worried about lying on my back to exercise in the second and third trimesters.
3. They’re time consuming. It takes a lot of crunches before I feel anything.
What does the science say?
According to a 2013 study using a machine to measure abdominal muscle activation, non-crunch exercises were found to be not only more spine-friendly, but they actually produced greater deep ab activation than crunches. This is important for 2 reasons 1) If you’re a mom, your spine is probably begging you to not put any more stress on it after carrying a baby for 9 months, which definitely alters your alignment. And 2) Inner ab activation is more effective for strengthening than just working the outer abs that crunches hit, because we need to activate the inner abs or “transverse abdominis” for proper movement. (*Although don’t over think it… that can cause problems, too.)
If you have back issues, crunches can cause more damage by putting strain on your spine. According to Sarah Key of SimpleBackPain.com, “Crunches are one of the worst abs exercises. They restrict the excursion of the diaphragm and weaken the pelvic floor”. Weakening the pelvic floor is the LAST thing new moms need to do! (*Note for C-section mommies: Your pelvic floor was still affected by pregnancy, even if you didn’t strain it pushing the baby out.)
If nothing else, crunches put you in a hunched over position that doesn’t give you any relief from your hunched position while nursing, and they make your abs bulge, which is the last thing you want on your quest for a flat tummy!
So what to do?
The Core Strength Study article cited above suggests various versions of planks as being more effective than crunches. SimpleBackPain.com lists planks as one of the worst ab exercises for your back. Such is the fitness world–there’s always conflicting information, which makes navigating all of this a little overwhelming for most exercisers. Here’s what it comes down to: New moms and anyone else whose abdominal wall is so weak that they can’t engage their abs shouldn’t put any more force on them, which could cause them to split apart. (*Check yourself for diastasis recti!)
SO… don’t jump into planks, even though I love them later on. There are plenty of inner ab activation exercises that won’t put this forward pressure on your weak abs. You’ll do planks again one day if you want to and if you have a back that can handle them, but not today. Restore before you’re ready for more.
Instead of crunches, do:
1. Pallof presses
2. Racked suitcase carry
3. Side planks (if you must plank)
4. Deadbugs or the even easier version of alternating drawing knees of up to chest and feet back to the floor
5. Oblique twists while lying on your back
6.Simple deep breathing that activates your core muscles (read my post about breathing as the underdog exercise)
My rule is to choose exercises that somehow mimic what I do every day (carrying babies and groceries, maintaining good posture) and that keep my body in neutral alignment to avoid any unnecessary strain on my spine. If you’re in the very newly postpartum club (less than 3 months) you want to focus as much on breathing exercises as possible, then add in some of the other exercises when you have more core stability.
If anything, the non-crunch exercises listed above give you more of a workout in less time than crunches because they also activate other muscles. Time is everything, especially when you’re a mom!