Cut the crunches! Personal trainer insists doing sit-ups every day WON'T give you washboard abs - and can actually do more harm than good
- Nike Master Trainer Joslyn Thompson Rule explains that doing even 500 sit-ups a day won't help you get a six-pack
- The exercise doesn't engage the right muscles for getting rock-hard abs
- She recommends combining sit-ups with other exercises and warns that if you don't, you could damage your back
Angling to get the abs of a Victoria's Secret model? One personal trainer insists that sticking to sit-ups won't get you there.
Nike Master Trainer Joslyn Thompson Rule told Get the Gloss that crunches and sit-ups are not the way to tone your tummy, and even buckling down and doing up to 500 a day is unlikely to get you closer to your six-pack goals.
'Just doing sit-ups alone won’t get you rock hard abs because you’re only working to strengthen one singular area, which is like trying to build the outer layers of a house with no foundations underneath,' she explained.
Not cutting it: A personal trainer warns that doing sit-ups won't give you a six-pack, explaining that you need a well-rounded workout routine for hard abs
So what exactly do sit-ups do? Joslyn said they work your 'external muscles', but don't actually build up the core or the obliques that give you that washboard look.
That means that unless you're doing sit-ups as part of a greater work-out routine - like with cardio and planks - you shouldn't expect to see any visible results when looking at your tummy in the mirror.
Joslyn also stressed the importance of a healthy diet, which is the foundation of looking more muscular in the middle. Exercise - even when you're doing more ab-effective workouts - can only go so far if you're not eating right.
'What most people don’t realize is that the way our stomachs look has 90 per cent to do with the food we eat and our overall nutrition,' she said.
The hard truth: Joslyn Thompson Rule (pictured) has 12 years of experience, and her claims are backed up by science
Chill out: Doing sit-ups can actually damage and cause pain in your lower back if you do too many
The trainer, who has been working in the field for 12 years and also coaches CrossFit athletes, even went so far as to say that doing too many sit-ups can be harmful to other parts of your body.
'Increased amounts of sit-ups may exacerbate any tightness in the flexor chain (muscles along the front of the body),' she explained. 'This in turn can lead to a weak lower back, putting pressure on the spine over time.'
And she's got science to back her up. Get the Gloss pointed out that the Texas Back Institute found that crunches put an unhealthy strain on the back at its weakest point, meaning that focusing solely on the exercise can lead to lower back pain.
Tighten up: Joslyn suggests doing planks (pictured), which do a better job at strengthening core muscles
Joslyn recommended trying planks, side planks, and hollow holds, which she likens to a 'reverse plank on the floor'.
Those exercises strengthen the 'deep inner core muscles' and don't harm your back, she said - so they're a win-win.
While she didn't suggest giving up on sit-ups altogether, she did stress the need for making them just one part of a larger routine.
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