Are traditional core strength exercises just wasting your time? The short answer is yes. The long answer? Also yes.
Here’s why: You probably really don’t know what crunches are doing to you.
The Truth About Traditional Core Strength Exercises
Why do you crunch?
There’s a lot of good answers: to stay in shape, to get a flatter stomach, to get a 6-pack. But there’s only one great answer: To build the strength of your foundation. Everything else is just a side effect (all good ones, but side effects nonetheless). With a stronger core, you can prevent injuries, alleviate lower back pain, improve your posture, and increase your overall physical performance across the board.
However, in a study by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), Peter Francis, Ph.D., compared 13 of the most common core strength exercises and ranked them in terms of most to least effective. Guess what was at the bottom of the list? The basic crunch — because it’s so basic. It doesn’t properly engage your abdominals and leaves you open to ruining other parts of your body (like your neck) if you do it incorrectly.
So is a crunch really the best core strength exercise for a stronger core? According to the research, no. The crunch (along with other ab favorites like the ab rocker, ab roller, exercise tubing pull, and hover) performed low for both strengthening the rectus abdominis and the obliques.
There are more than 50 muscles in your core, so if crunches aren’t even helping with the two most common muscles, why do a crunch at all?
Because there hasn’t ever been a good replacement for the traditional crunch, or any of the similar foundational core strength exercises. So far, engaging in exercises like crunches, planks, seated twists, or straight-leg sit-ups, were the best that anyone could do to get stronger. Until now.
The AllCore360º Difference
The AllCore360º does what traditional exercises can’t — it engages the 50+ muscles in your core, and it does it without any impact on the other parts of your body. With 10 rotations, for 10 minutes, only three times a week, you can transform your core (and really see the results).
Here’s how it works:
The AllCore360º builds strength, improves balance, and increases endurance for users of all ability and athletic fitness in three ways:
- The AllCore360º uses isometric contractions.
- It essentially rotates your body a full 360° in a plank position and engages every foundational muscle from chin to your pelvic bone.
- The degree of difficulty can be altered, so you can customize your workout to be as easy, or difficult, as you want.
Here’s the healthiest way to train your core and support your spine:
ABS:
From your anterior to your internal abdominals, the AllCore360º engages your muscles in a 3D plane to grow the muscles that support every movement you make.
BACK:
Work out the muscles that support your spine for confident posture that untrains your body to slouch and hunch forward.
Activate and strengthen your core stability by developing your obliques and finishing out a balanced workout.
If you want to not just see results, but truly feel them, you have to train differently. You have to train smarter. You have to train with the AllCore360º.
Dr. Gray with Gray Chiropractic & Sports Associates, who has been practicing for over 25 years with a focus on physical therapy and core strength exercise technology, said of the AllCore360°: “The AllCore360° is a game changer. It really comes down to if people can experience it, and if they can feel it. By feeling it and seeing it, patients are more inclined to see how much practice plays a role in their overall health and wellbeing, especially in relation to their spinal health. The AllCore360° is just that practice.” To learn more about how the AllCore360° can contribute to your whole body health, read the full case study here.
Whether you’re looking to get back into shape, recover from an injury, or just want to get a jumpstart on getting into swimsuit shape, the AllCore360º is your best option for getting strong and staying there. We know it sounds too good to be true, but once you come out and try it for yourself, you’ll believe in it as much as we do. Check out where you can ride the AllCore360º here, and get started on a stronger tomorrow with smart core strength exercises today.
Interested in bringing the AllCore360° to your organization?
Let’s get you on a machine.