Not Quite Ready for the Ball – Part 3: Ball Crunch
Probably the most popular ab exercise seen since the introduction of the ball has been the crunch. I am guilty of showing people this fascinating exercise and citing its many benefits compared to conventional crunches: feels better on the back, stretches the abs, makes the exercise more difficult, and can be more effective. The truth is I may have stuck close to 175 people on that ball and looking back now, they weren’t progressed thoroughly to use the ball. Were they capable of using the stability ball for ab crunches? Yes….but they weren’t progressed to it so that very set was optimal.
All trainers are guilty of getting their clients on the ball. Hell, I have even seen my next door neighbor who has been working out for 3 weeks, try to show her friend how to use the ball for crunches. It was very depressing to watch. Why do we do it? I know from a trainer’s standpoint, we want to race the client to the hardest exercise and challenge them to sort of “shut them up”. We want to show the client that they still have a long way to go. We want to show them that the abs are very important in overall development and using the ball is the right tool for the job. That’s what I used to think when I was about 25. Well, 7 years later and 4 gyms later I have realized that I could have made the ball crunch more effective had I followed some basics.
Typically, we see people using the stability ball for abs in several ways; however, I’m going to address the crunch only. Normally, when beginners get on the ball for a crunch they feel a great stretch in the abs. This stretch is caused primarily by tight hip flexors, tight/weak abdominals, and tight pectorals. Beginners will also ‘shake’ due to weakness and unfamiliarity with space. What we usually see in compensatory patterns is:
1.)Inability to maintain center of gravity on ball
2.)Inability to stabilize on ball
3.)Weak abs prevent proper firing and optimal flexion
4.)Compensations seen in cervical flexors, hip flexors, and lower back musculature
Usually, beginners will not “feel” the abs contracting while on the ball, so they think they need to go higher. So what do they do? They pull on their necks in an effort to raise the upper torso (flex) to try to recruit more abdominals. So they end up just rolling the ball forward and back….never getting anything out of it. Another reason is the hip flexors are so tight, they dominate the entire movement. If the abs are weak, they won’t crunch very high and the hip flexors become the primary trunk flexors.
When this happens, what do you hear? “I don’t feel anything”….
So what can we do to improve the ball crunch and make it more effective?
My opinion is that beginners should master the floor crunch first. Beginners with anterior pelvic tilts and excessive lordotic curves need the stable floor to ‘push’ against. They need to produce intra-abdominal pressure artificially. This will cause an almost relaxation of the overly tight muscles and true trunk flexion will be evident. It won’t be a huge crunch, but it will be purely abs. What I have done in the past is place my hand in the “small of their lower back” and ask them to put pressure on my hand—and then crunch. You can also use a crumpled piece of paper for those clients that are excessively sweaty. The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) uses the blood pressure cuff to help people engage TVA activation during drawing-in. This is kind of like it.
Another problem with a floor crunch that you can minimize before jumping to the ball is clients will have overly tight lats and triceps. This placement of the limbs and excessive rib cage “rising” tends to contract the muscles of the upper thorax you will see the common pulling of the neck. In my opinion, the only way to remedy this is to incorporate some flexibility/mobility in the cervical spine (i.e. foam rolling, massage, etc). However, we can minimize this action, by having clients keep their arms straight upwards (in line of sight) with hands clasped. What I also like to do is place my hands 2-3 inches above and ask them to raise just a few inches and touch my palm with their finger tips.
Once they have mastered the floor crunch, we will move on to the ball. In the beginning, if they need to anchor their feet against the wall, I permit it. I want them to understand they must not let the ball roll forwards and back during the movement. This is paramount and I believe is the reason why so many ab crunches are wasted on the ball.
Once on the ball…if its shakin’ and bakin’ that’s a good sign.
Till next time!
Why Your Ball Crunches Suck
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