Needing Help With New Path: Planks or Crunches?

[unfinishedclay]

The title...

Plus

Where do planks form muscles?
I watch a lot of youtube on this and get some pretty good information about it. But I'm still unclear about where planks form muscles - which part of the abs and where else.

Also, I hear so much about crunches being ineffective. How are they not effective, when I've seen the effects of them in the past? I've done crunches on the exercise ball and it works. So, what's wrong?

 

[Kevin Snow]

Full range of motion is important in defining the muscle and having true strength. Crunches are just not full range of motion that your stomach can do.

Holding a pose is the complete opposite of full range of motion and promotes breathing discipline. If you can master your breathing while holding a pose you will far outperform others in sports.

In general the more relaxed and controlled you are in your breathing combined with increasing the intensity as high as possible with that control is the goal of working out. That's how you don't simply wear yourself out for nothing and how you actually grow in energy levels.

 

[unfinishedclay]

Full range of motion is important in defining the muscle and having true strength. Crunches are just not full range of motion that your stomach can do.

Holding a pose is the complete opposite of full range of motion and promotes breathing discipline. If you can master your breathing while holding a pose you will far outperform others in sports.

In general the more relaxed and controlled you are in your breathing combined with increasing the intensity as high as possible with that control is the goal of working out. That's how you don't simply wear yourself out for nothing and how you actually grow in energy levels.

So, that describes the plank. But where does it build muscle? To be clear, I'm concerned about visceral fat, which has been going gradually. Been doing planks since late April maybe. Can I depend on just planks to take care of the visceral fat?

So, crunches helps nothing? I can see it never did help visceral fat in the past. But I really did see it took care of lower belly fat. Why were fitness trainers pushing it so much just about a decade ago?

 

[bhsmte]

So, that describes the plank. But where does it build muscle? To be clear, I'm concerned about visceral fat, which has been going gradually. Been doing planks since late April maybe. Can I depend on just planks to take care of the visceral fat?

So, crunches helps nothing? I can see it never did help visceral fat in the past. But I really did see it took care of lower belly fat. Why were fitness trainers pushing it so much just about a decade ago?

Core work, will not spot reduce fat.

When one loses body fat, they lose it all over the body, not in one place. Spot reducing fat, with specific exercises, doesn't work.

 

[Kevin Snow]

So, that describes the plank. But where does it build muscle? To be clear, I'm concerned about visceral fat, which has been going gradually. Been doing planks since late April maybe. Can I depend on just planks to take care of the visceral fat?

So, crunches helps nothing? I can see it never did help visceral fat in the past. But I really did see it took care of lower belly fat. Why were fitness trainers pushing it so much just about a decade ago?

Fads. People trying new things.

I didn't say crunches don't help anything. But because you only move half of the motion of your stomach, let's say it only does half the job. If I could have a decline where I hold myself up from my legs every time I did sit ups that would be even better than sit ups. The best sit up is doing it while your hanging upside down and you curl yourself all the way back up. But being upside down is hard.

Honestly if you want to get rid of all the fat and have your abs be seen through your skin then it requires enough cardio to burn it all off. Running long distance doesn't necessarily burn it off for everyone but sooner or later you will tighten yourself up. Doing whole body workouts, low weight high rep is the best thing to burn off the fat. You just have to do it enough and get to a high enough intensity.

 

[unfinishedclay]

Core work, will not spot reduce fat.

So, then what does it do? So, will plank take care of head to toe? These planks are new to me and I see my belly going down. I'm walking 3-4 days a week too. But nothing vigorous. My belly has never gone down with just cardio before.

If I know what core work can't do, it leads me to try understanding what it can do.

Kevin, I'm just interested in losing visceral fat. I'm not looking for cut muscles in abs. I may need to do more cardio tho.

 

[Kevin Snow]

So, then what does it do? So, will plank take care of head to toe? These planks are new to me and I see my belly going down. I'm walking 3-4 days a week too. But nothing vigorous. My belly has never gone down with just cardio before.

If I know what core work can't do, it leads me to try understanding what it can do.

Kevin, I'm just interested in losing visceral fat. I'm not looking for cut muscles in abs. I may need to do more cardio tho.

To get rid of visceral fat you also need to balance your hormones. Removing plastics from your water and your food will help promote this balance. Plastics act as estrogenic hormones in the body and block hormone receptors. It then creates a false reading of estrogen in the body and the body tries to compensate for it. Becoming pudgy and storing fat is a symptom of excess BAD estrogen.

Drinking green tea can clear plastics from the body. Basically throwing organic material back at the body will force out the inorganic material. Lot s of green vegetables.

The next thing you need to do surprisingly enough is reintroduce healthy natural estrogen and let your body get its rhythm again. The best food for this is flax seed. Flax seed provides the healthy form of estrogen your body needs to regulate and bounce back. Soy is an unhealthy kind because it's GMO and is messed up. Flax seed hasn't been a huge target for large industry farming as much as soy.

Cardio can and will speed up this process and would normally be enough to balance your hormones with proper nutrition. The presence of these petrochemicals in our water has stopped the natural flow and doesn't give your body a fair chance.

I have taken a medication that has brought me from having 10% body fat my entire life to having 25% body fat and yes it is a lot of visceral fat. I've yet to start working on getting rid of it because up until now I've needed to continue with the medication. So I don't know through experience yet what it truly takes workout wise to get rid of it. I am confident however that with a systemic whole body workout approach that I can whittle away at it like "bhsmte" said. Burpees and leg raises and pull ups are some of the things I will begin to do to get rid of my fat. But I actually have a system of my own that I'm developing.

 

[bhsmte]

So, then what does it do? So, will plank take care of head to toe? These planks are new to me and I see my belly going down. I'm walking 3-4 days a week too. But nothing vigorous. My belly has never gone down with just cardio before.

If I know what core work can't do, it leads me to try understanding what it can do.

Kevin, I'm just interested in losing visceral fat. I'm not looking for cut muscles in abs. I may need to do more cardio tho.

Planks strengthen the muscles in your core.

If you want to lose fat, do a blend of cardio, strength training and eat a balanced diet, that gives you a slight caloric deficit (about 500 calories per day).

If you can do that, your body will slowly start to utilize fat stores for fuel and you will lose fat. Keep in mind though, you cannot spot reduce fat, but you can lose fat all over the body. Lastly, losing fat quickly is physiologically impossible, as one pound of fat, has 3,500 calories and is enough fuel for the average person to walk about 35 miles.

Build good habits, stick with them and be patient.

 

[unfinishedclay]

The next thing you need to do surprisingly enough is reintroduce healthy natural estrogen and let your body get its rhythm again. The best food for this is flax seed. Flax seed provides the healthy form of estrogen your body needs to regulate and bounce back.

I take flax seed oil supplements!

Thanks for the information. VERY helpful. This constant info I keep getting about plastics has gone on for too long - over a year now. Just recently, my oldest son has been warning me. It's time to take heed. Thank you!

 

[unfinishedclay]

Planks strengthen the muscles in your core.

If you want to lose fat, do a blend of cardio, strength training and eat a balanced diet, that gives you a slight caloric deficit (about 500 calories per day).

If you can do that, your body will slowly start to utilize fat stores for fuel and you will lose fat. Keep in mind though, you cannot spot reduce fat, but you can lose fat all over the body. Lastly, losing fat quickly is physiologically impossible, as one pound of fat, has 3,500 calories and is enough fuel for the average person to walk about 35 miles.

Build good habits, stick with them and be patient.

Got it! Thank you! been doing about 3-4 days per week of cardio with planks 2-3 days per week. Diet has changed drastically even though I still use liberty, like eating popcorn and pizza at the movies today. Most days just veggies and protein. Water water water. 15-20 pound loss since kids' spring break. Weight fluctuating downward. Im really trying not to count calories.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

To get rid of visceral fat you also need to balance your hormones. Removing plastics from your water and your food will help promote this balance. Plastics act as estrogenic hormones in the body and block hormone receptors. It then creates a false reading of estrogen in the body and the body tries to compensate for it. Becoming pudgy and storing fat is a symptom of excess BAD estrogen.

Drinking green tea can clear plastics from the body. Basically throwing organic material back at the body will force out the inorganic material. Lot s of green vegetables.

The next thing you need to do surprisingly enough is reintroduce healthy natural estrogen and let your body get its rhythm again. The best food for this is flax seed. Flax seed provides the healthy form of estrogen your body needs to regulate and bounce back. Soy is an unhealthy kind because it's GMO and is messed up. Flax seed hasn't been a huge target for large industry farming as much as soy.

Cardio can and will speed up this process and would normally be enough to balance your hormones with proper nutrition. The presence of these petrochemicals in our water has stopped the natural flow and doesn't give your body a fair chance.

I have taken a medication that has brought me from having 10% body fat my entire life to having 25% body fat and yes it is a lot of visceral fat. I've yet to start working on getting rid of it because up until now I've needed to continue with the medication. So I don't know through experience yet what it truly takes workout wise to get rid of it. I am confident however that with a systemic whole body workout approach that I can whittle away at it like "bhsmte" said. Burpees and leg raises and pull ups are some of the things I will begin to do to get rid of my fat. But I actually have a system of my own that I'm developing.

Taking raw unfiltered unpasteurized apple cider vinegar will match your purpose of detoxifying the toxins in your body, AND it is very well known as one of the simplest and best weight loss items with no bad side effects and a lot of good natural effects.

 

[unfinishedclay]

Taking raw unfiltered unpasteurized apple cider vinegar will match your purpose of detoxifying the toxins in your body, AND it is very well known as one of the simplest and best weight loss items with no bad side effects and a lot of good natural effects.

I have Bragg's and Trader Joe's brands of Apple Cider Vinegar. Been adding it to the bone broth I've been making. I'm looking forward to good results.