i was thinking about posting thread on this subject after a recent experience of mine these last few months.
i remember doing crunches as a kid to build core strength for taking punches. 20+ years ago..
i hadn't done a crunch in over two decades, all my core strength came from conditioning - drills in the cage - trading measured and paced body punches and kicks in partner drills back and forth.
when i slowed down my combat training to dip into weight lifting for about a 6 month stretch over this past winter and holiday season - i wasn't doing those core conditioning drills and so i started with doing incline sit ups, hanging leg raises, crunches - all the things you're supposed to do to "get" abs in the weight room
i didn't see any progress, in fact i thought i noticed a little drop in my definition and hardness, my obliques deffinately had lost some sharpness
about 12 weeks of weight training , i happened to be sparring with some guys prepping for fights and we ended training and did cool down with partner drills - body conditioning
I've always been able to take big big body shots.. ill hold my hands high on purpose to draw body punches - i soak them up and counter punch.. ill trade you landing one in my bread basket for clipping you with an upper cut or a hook
ill be god damn, twelve weeks of crunches leg raises and incline sit ups
- and my conditioning and core strength was GREATLY diminished. i was shocked at how much core strength had been affected by engaging in what i consider to be the wrong ( functionally worthless) exercises while neglecting the drills and sets of movements that had kept me strong and hard all these years.
since having that experience, i practice good posture with doing something the old school body builders called " the vacuum" (look that up) and I've found that conditioning in the boxing gym combined with practicing the vacuum gives me much more strength and better aesthetic results than plowing through hundreds of ab exercises each week.
also, have noticed the thick chunky waist and abs these guys with washboard abs tend to have- not gh gut even - but just "washboard" abs , and their was it are thick and chunky like a baby thats eaten too much apple pie
if its boxing then the only thing that matters is conditioning. if its body building - then its all proportion and controlling your training and exercises to achieve maintain the results you want to see.
once you have a foundations for strength, those compound movements you mentioned being perfect examples of usable functional core strength - i do not recommend crunches at all
if you can not find a boxing gym/partner for training drills that make your torso conditioned and hard - try this..
you can use a medicine ball laying flat on your back, tossing the weighted ball into the air and letting it land on your lower stomach/ diaphragm/ chest - toss it higher for a harder impact , breathe out when it crushes your body. proper breathing with timed contraction of your abdominal walls in the only way to ward off damage to your organs..
coincidentally , practicing the old school body building technique of " the vacuum" absolutely revolves around increasing the internal pressure of the abdominal cavity ( the same method that allows you to take blows to the midsection without accruing damage) and holding that pressure for extended period of time - as long as you possibly can = failure
what I've just spoken of here, produces amazing results for me and the few others I've shared it with.
interested to hear what other on these boards have to say about " the vacuum"
please share your thoughts and experiences, even opinions..
this is something i am going to share with people and try to rise awareness of why it is better for sore strength ( functional strength) over the crunches and typical core trainer exercises..
cheers, Bronson
The 8hr fast and deep sleep works well. Its a mental thing, but it feels good.
