In Defense of the Crunch

by Neil Anderson

For years now I have eschewed the lowly crunch as less-than-adequate and one-dimensional when compared to the situp. Through delirious research and years of experience my insight surrounding real situps and their supreme benefit has caused me to look down on the lowly crunch and nix their usage entirely.  Due to this I have scoffed at the inefficiency and lack of functionality of doing crunches for exercise.  I have even ridiculed the fiterati as being woefully out of date and less than proficient at their craft when they have suggested the use of crunches (and ONLY crunches to the exclusion of situps) to others. 

I have taken a lot of heat for my embrace of the situp (especially in the late 90's when I started doing them with clients).  Many medical professionals warned their patients (my clients) to stay away from me.  Many more health and fitness professionals followed suit.  They were all convinced that I was nothing short of a fitness heretic and should be hunted down with torches and pitchforks to be burned at the stake for all the damage I was surely causing to my clients' lumbar spines, their necks and likely their long term health.  Many took measures to stop me.  Some still do.  Yet my clients became fitter (I choose this as a word).  They also became healthier.  Their lumbar spines and necks, too.  How could this be?  

It is because situps are natural movements.  We do them.  A lot.  Full situps, half situps, leg lifts (which are just situps in reverse) and so on.  Did you get out of bed this morning?  Likely you did a situp to make it happen.  Ever get out of low slung Lazy Boy chair that was reclined?  You did a situp or, at least half of one to make that happen.  Situps happen everywhere and I have discovered that there is no substitute for the magnificent situp when it comes to helping you become ultimately capable of any and all of life's challenges, tasks or rewards.  And so we do them. And for almost 10 years ONLY them. 

But then a funny thing happened.  A couple of weeks ago I was searching for a pre-fatigue exercise to pile onto your workout to make V-UPs more effective.  Maybe it was out of nostalgia or perhaps due to my contrarian nature (Yes, sometimes I will be contrarian to the contrary) I decided to program 50 simple CRUNCHES as the pre-fatigue exercise.  JEEZE it was hard!  Really hard.  As hard as I remember the first time I did 50 situps!  Then I got sore.  3 days of sore!  I couldn't believe it.  Many of you said you got sore, too.

This and other things like it have forced me to rethink some things over the last year or so.  I have decided to make some changes.  I would like you to be in on it (though I'm sure you have noticed changes in your training). Here is the first change (there are many):

I have decided that muscular isolation and/or single joint exercises (crunches, biceps curls, triceps extensions, side lateral raises, etc.) are NOT of the devil.  Repeat.  Not of the devil!  They are not evil, stupid or a waste of time.  I have RE-LEARNED that they have their place.  They can be quite effective when used properly.  AND I intend to USE them in my programming going forward. 

This being said, please understand that multi-joint, multi-planar exercises (deadlifts, squats, KB swings, pushups, pullups, etc.) will still contribute to the bulk of our activities.  These exercises are far superior in terms of efficiency and effectiveness in general.  This is our mandate (effectiveness and efficiency).  However, when appropriate and where our mandate applies, I will continue to program single joint/isolation exercises. 

This, I won't apologize for to those who (previously like me) have come to eschew them as I once did. Although their methods are woefully out of date (now), I vow to be more understanding of those who have not caught (back) on to the use of these old, efficient and effective exercises.  I ask you to be understanding of them too.  As the fiterati continue to see your positive, healthy changes they will eventually catch on and follow suit.  Just be prepared (as I am) to dodge a few torches and pitchforks along the way.

R.I.C.E

by Neil Anderson

According to my "Law of Reciprocal Pain," the only thing as certain as death and taxes is pain.  It is coming.  It is inevitable.  While you should embrace this law, it is also critical that you learn how to mitigate its effects.     

The best way to immediately treat an acute injury is through the R.I.C.E. method. 

R = Rest.  This is to be done immediately following the injury.  Resting an injury can range from completely staying off the injury and not using the injured body part at all, to simply choosing a new activity that doesn't flare up the injury you are resting.  A good example of this would be to switch from running to cycling for a period of time.  It can also mean using crutches or braces to sure up the injury.  What you are aiming for here is a rest from the pain.  

I = Ice.  Scientists have determined that the best ice pack is a mixture of crushed ice and water.  According to the Journal of Athletic Training, crushed ice in water cools your injury much faster.  It also conforms to the injury better, creating a more effective and efficient contact patch.  Ice should be used for 20 minutes in small applications, applying it to only the area injured.  Over-icing has the reverse effect.  Repeat every 3-4 hours as needed for pain and inflammation.  

C = Compression.  To decrease and further inhibit inflammation, it is wise to use an ACE type bandage or an elastic sleeve, and wrap the affected area.  These can be purchased in any pharmacy.

E = Elevation. Any area of injury should be elevated to at or above the heart.  This decreases inflammation and pain associated with the injury.  It also helps speed recovery.  

Too many times a person may experience what, at the time, is thought to be a small injury while working out.  Problem is, little injuries turn into MAJOR inconveniences and LONG setbacks when they are not taken care of properly.  To experience the best health possible, it is wise to speed recovery from small injuries in a very active manner.  Doing so will keep you in the game longer and/or get you back in the game sooner.  

None of this advice is intended to circumvent the advice of your physician. 

Doesn't Matter What Time You Workout

by Neil Anderson

Training is equally effective no matter what time of day you do it.  This is according to a study by Milan Sedliak and his colleagues out of the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland. 

According to the study, subjects trained for 10 weeks to get accustomed to the workout and then trained for an additional 10 weeks, either in the morning or the late afternoon.  Researchers measured muscle mass gains accurately using MRI imaging.  The positive results were indistinguishable from one group to the other.  This has lead researchers to conclude that it doesn’t matter what time of day you workout as long as you are working out.   This research backs up what I have been saying all along.

In the past there have been three schools of thought about what time of the day is the best time of the day to workout… 

The first school of thought says you should always workout in the morning when your body’s temperature is at its coldest point and hormones responsible for activity and growth are at their lowest.  The thought is that by working out during these times you will stimulate increased body temp and circulate valuable hormones earlier in the day thereby benefiting from their effects longer. 

The second school of thought says you should workout in the middle of the day when your body temp and hormones are at their peak.  This is thought to help you maximize your physical and mental acuity during your workout.  Increased physical and mental acuity is thought to increase the benefit of the workout because you are likely to perform at a higher level. 

The third school of thought is that you should workout later in the evening.  By working out later in the evening it is thought that you would increase body temp and hormone flow over normal levels and carry this positive effect of exercise over while you are sleeping.  Proponents of this school of thought are heard to say, “You actually get more fit while asleep.” 

Although there are those who absolutely swear by each one of these schools of thought, it has always been my opinion that the best time of day to workout is the time of day that you will actually do it!  And now I have more than just a bunch of cowboy common sense to back me up on this.        

(Journal Strength and Conditioning Research, 23: 2451-2457,2009)