Crunches?

[Jafar]

Hello, Gentlemen

I have a question about the proper technique for executing crunches. When I went through boot camp we were doing situps. In fact, when I went through PLC juniors we were some of the last to do situps as well. Anyway I don't think I've ever been properly instructed on how to do these things. It seems to me the accepted technique has changed over the years. When we first started doing them it was arms crossed, hands in armpits, up until elbows touch legs, all the way down. During our last PFT I saw Marines doing some crazy looking thing with arms folded on the stomach, and their upper body is moving all of about 4 inches. Even some Semper Fudge looking Jarheads were busting out 100 with 25 seconds to spare.
Now I can generally max them out, but I come down to the wire. Also, my quads tire long before my abs do. Is this normal? What is this new technique I described? The staff seemed to be checking people off who were doing this, so I assume it's acceptable. Is there a web page that describes the current Marine Corps order on crunches?

 

[jet_ifr]

I've been to plc jr's and OCC, and did a PFT about a month ago. For proper crunches, the forearms must remain against the upper torso. The forearms must touch the quad during the crunch. Fold your arms in a manner that keeps them planted against your torso and touch your elbows to your quads, down low near your hip flexors lifting your upper torso off the ground. Return torso to the deck touching your shoulder blades to deck, repeat exercise. Hope this helps.

John

I fly. Me pilot?

 

[Lt_SNA_USMC]

Negative (I think). The elbows (tips) must touch the quads. If the forearms could touch the quads, it would be much easier to cheat. How much you cheat would depend on how bent your elbows were during the exercise. It is the elbows that must touch the quads. This way, it does not matter how bent the elbows remains; it remains the same distance from your torso no matter how bent it is. Your quads tire because in order to move your trunk through a flexion range of motion (a sit-up or crunch), it requires the use of numerous muscles (duh). The prime movers of trunk flexion in sit-ups and crunches are the abdominals and the hip flexors (the muscles that raise your legs in front of the body). The Quadriceps has 4 parts (quad=4). Three parts (I won't bore you with their names) attach (articulate) at the knee and the head of the femur (big leg bone). The other part, the rectus femoris actually crosses both the knee joint and the hip joint (bi-articular). So it is responsible for extending the knee but also flexing the hip. So all of this to say that one of the muscles you use to extend your knee (one of your quads) actually assists in hip flexion which is one of the kinesiological motions of a crunch or sit-up. That's why it may get sore when you do crunches. Not that you give a rat's-ass about my detailed explaination, but I hope this answered your question.

John--have you been to TBS yet?