Big Problem with my situps/crunches

[Zoltta1]

Well i ship out 20091102 and im having problems with my crunches. In 2 minutes i can only get 45 crunches before my lower back muscles give out, the erector spinae in technical terms. Im a lightweight guy at 145lbs, 6 feet tall. I can do 13 pullups and a 10:00 run give or take a few seconds. I feel like crap when the fat kid next do me does 75 crunches over my 45. Im tall and lanky so i kinda have to come down a little farther for my shoulder blades to touch. After about 30 my lower back starts to tighten up and from there on out i can only do 3+ crunches, stop and do 3 more and repeat that.

So in conclusion either i am doing them wrong or i really need to work on my lower back exercises.

Any advice?

[BruceLee]

Well all I have to say is look up some lower back stretches and remember that when doing crunches lift with your abs...duh right.

[Walls]

When you start out doing your crunches, scoot your butt in as close to your heels as you can. Doing that uses your leg muscles more. As your legs get tired, start to scoot out, using more of your abs and less legs. It helps you from fatiguing your ab muscles as fast. Try pacing yourself as well. Don't go as fast as you can starting out, you'll get tired too fast. Work on getting 20 crunches every 30 seconds.. that'll give you 80 in 2 minutes. Hope this helps!

[Zoltta1]

When you start out doing your crunches, scoot your butt in as close to your heels as you can. Doing that uses your leg muscles more. As your legs get tired, start to scoot out, using more of your abs and less legs. It helps you from fatiguing your ab muscles as fast. Try pacing yourself as well. Don't go as fast as you can starting out, you'll get tired too fast. Work on getting 20 crunches every 30 seconds.. that'll give you 80 in 2 minutes. Hope this helps!

Thats the thing, my abs dont get fatigued, just my back muscles do. My legs do a little but not enough to stop me. Someone suggested the Janda situp so im going to try those too. Thanks for the advice

[Gerken]

Have you been working on your crunches since you DEP'd in, because I was in the same situation when I became a poolee only able to do the minimum. What I was told to do was to do 100 crunches everyday and you will build yourself up. Make sure not to stop and rest while doing your crunches, since once you rest once you wont want to keep up your pace. I now am doing 4-5 sets of 100 crunches/day to make sure that I get at least 100 on the next pool function. The only way to do more, is to actually do them.

[Hartford]

Have your butt touch your heels or as close as possible. And pull hard up on your legs so the fat person sitting on your feet works to your advantage. I dont have problems with my lower back getting sore but maybe to improve that try doing hyperextensions.

Like this:

http://capitalregionorthopaedics.com/assets/images/exercise_images/back_hyperextension.jpg

Or this:

http://www.binshape.com/%5EFerrigno/products/images/WRCH322_400x400.jpg

Besides that, practice makes perfect. I do a lot of different abdominal exercises nearly everyday to improve my crunches. Leg raises, hold @ 6", side to side, crunches, weighted crunches, hanging leg raises, hanging knee raises and some others that I don't know the names of.

[Kurokawa]

Hey,

I used to have something similar. Do you arch your lower back upwards at all when doing the crunches? If you do, that's your problem right there.

[Zoltta1]

Hey,

I used to have something similar. Do you arch your lower back upwards at all when doing the crunches? If you do, that's your problem right there.

hmm i never thought about that, it could be the problem. I guess its because i am tall and lanky

[Jensen139]

you almost want to tilt your pelvis up so that the small of your back is flat on the ground, and like someone said but i'll add to it. Perfect practice makes perfect.

[Capital M]

Have your butt touch your heels or as close as possible. And pull hard up on your legs so the fat person sitting on your feet works to your advantage. I dont have problems with my lower back getting sore but maybe to improve that try doing hyperextensions.

Like this:

http://capitalregionorthopaedics.com/assets/images/exercise_images/back_hyperextension.jpg

Or this:

http://www.binshape.com/%5EFerrigno/products/images/WRCH322_400x400.jpg

Besides that, practice makes perfect. I do a lot of different abdominal exercises nearly everyday to improve my crunches. Leg raises, hold @ 6", side to side, crunches, weighted crunches, hanging leg raises, hanging knee raises and some others that I don't know the names of.



this.:thumbup:

[sparkie]

Eat more friggin Bannanas.

[Kurokawa]

hmm i never thought about that, it could be the problem. I guess its because i am tall and lanky

I'm the same. Just make sure you bend your back and not try to lift your chest with it.

[Zoltta1]

I'm the same. Just make sure you bend your back and not try to lift your chest with it.

Bend your back in what way? Like an upside down U or curl it upwards?

[McManus15]

The taller you are the more of a rolling motion u need. Try rolling your back more, not to the point where you will pull anything, just add a little of the motion and it will stop the upward arch of your back. Hope this helps.

[atimmons]

I'm tall too and I've noticed when I get to the end of a set up crunches my lower back/neck are real stiff. So what I did was I stretched out my lower back and neck muscles real good before starting crunches and that helped.

Kurokawa (http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/member.php?u=60135) is right, pay attention to your posture when you do the crunches. If your back is bent backward you're putting alot of strain on it. Hunch over, there's less distance to travel and you get more out of the crunch then.

[Hartford]

@atimmons - JW, why do you have the >.< face by 11:50...that's not that bad. See you at boot. :mad:

[SabreJack]

I have a pretty good feeling that he has looked at the fact that if you were to double his 1.5 mile time, he would be about 4.5 to 5 minutes off the pace for a perfect 3-mile run. I'm in the same boat. It does not matter what your 1.5 mile run time is because you only have to do it once. If you meet the minimum, you will never be timed for it again.

[atimmons]

Yeah I don't have an excuse. My 3 mile sucks. That's why the >.< is after the 1.5.

[Mako]

A 3 mile run is obviously a lot more physically demanding than a 1.5m run. But, doubling your 1.5m time is not usually your 3 mile time. And for those who havent ran a 3m yet, take it easy your first time so your body can get used to the distance and greater toll. Then gradually increase your speed. This will help avoid injury with the great increase in stress. I have learned this through experience and speaking with other runners. Good luck.

[Zoltta1]

A 3 mile run is obviously a lot more physically demanding than a 1.5m run. But, doubling your 1.5m time is not usually your 3 mile time. And for those who havent ran a 3m yet, take it easy your first time so your body can get used to the distance and greater toll. Then gradually increase your speed. This will help avoid injury with the great increase in stress. I have learned this through experience and speaking with other runners. Good luck.

damn man, im running 8 miles every other day haha.

[Polster]

Well i ship out 20091102 and im having problems with my crunches. In 2 minutes i can only get 45 crunches before my lower back muscles give out, the erector spinae in technical terms. Im a lightweight guy at 145lbs, 6 feet tall. I can do 13 pullups and a 10:00 run give or take a few seconds. I feel like crap when the fat kid next do me does 75 crunches over my 45. Im tall and lanky so i kinda have to come down a little farther for my shoulder blades to touch. After about 30 my lower back starts to tighten up and from there on out i can only do 3+ crunches, stop and do 3 more and repeat that.

So in conclusion either i am doing them wrong or i really need to work on my lower back exercises.

Any advice?


When I 1st started working out I couldn't do much more than 45 myself, the best way to get them up is to practice every day and if your back starts to hurt push through the pain because all it is is weakness leaving the body. If you can't physically do it because your back won't let you try doing the lower back stretch by putting your left leg over your right leg and right elbow on the left side of you left knee and twist you back to the left then switch sides that should help. Good luck.:thumbup:

[nmcdade999]

When you start out doing your crunches, scoot your butt in as close to your heels as you can. Doing that uses your leg muscles more. As your legs get tired, start to scoot out, using more of your abs and less legs. It helps you from fatiguing your ab muscles as fast. Try pacing yourself as well. Don't go as fast as you can starting out, you'll get tired too fast. Work on getting 20 crunches every 30 seconds.. that'll give you 80 in 2 minutes. Hope this helps!
but the goal is 100 not 80 lol

[Zoltta1]

Ive been doing a routine my recruiter had me to. Max in 2:00 rest, Max in 1:00 rest, Max in 30 seconds. Havnt been watching numbers because i want to wait for an IST for proper spotting instead of putting my feet under the couch. I can feel it getting alot better though thats for sure. Ive learned to engage more of my abs correctly instead of my lower back. It dont think im near 100 yet but ill be there soon. Hopefully before Nov 2nd

[KilpatrickF250]

On top of working your back muscles in the gym, and stretching really good, you could try some core workouts? People don't believe my crunch score, but every night before I go to bed, I do leg lifts for time, planks, and holding a leg lift position for a certain amount of time. It is very demanding of your abs, obliques, etc. so I would steer away from them within a week of an IST or your ship date. Just an idea.

[KilpatrickF250]

Also, I know this doesn't apply to you YET, but if you can get that magic number in your head and do a majority within the first minute, you're golden. I generally do the first 70-80 within the first minute. That gives me a WHOLE 60 more seconds to come up with the additional 20-30+. But again, you need to build up to that. Just some ideas, good luck poolee!

[AAA]

Dead lifts with proper form will strengthen your abs, back, legs, and arms I would recommend doing dead lifts and supplementing with other core work like flutter kicks.

Recruit Smith
9:31 mile and a half
122 crunches
13 pull-ups

[hxcbandit7]

the trick is to pound them out super fast, because once you start slowing down is when it starts to hurt, once that blood starts pumping in your muscles it gets harder and harder to do another sit up.

[Zoltta1]

We have been doing some core exercises at the office recently such as planks and leg lifts/flutter kicks. Seems to be having a positive effect

[Capital M]

Try doing Press-ups too. Get in the pushup position on the ground. Pushup, but keep your hips on the floor. It stretches out your lower back and keeps your spine in check.

[KilpatrickF250]

We have been doing some core exercises at the office recently such as planks and leg lifts/flutter kicks. Seems to be having a positive effect

:thumbup: