Yes, it's true. In crunches, only your spine moves; however, in sit ups your spine and your hips move. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Mother who had her boobs reduced from a 34I TO 34D due to... 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One study found that 56 per cent of all soldiers' injuries related to the old test were because of sit-ups. Over the past years, full sit ups have fallen out of favor with personal trainers, and crunches have taken over as the most popular stomach exercise. Related: Are sit ups bad for your back? Over time they can bulge which presses on nerves, causes pain and can lead to a hernia. When using an incline board, proper form is more important than ever. Crunches work the abdominal muscles really well without putting too much compression on the joints of the lumbar spine, and when the feet are placed on a bench or ball during crunches there is slightly less pressure on the lumbar spine. And in 2010, it jumped to third place - behind ischemic heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Charles Inniss is a Physical Therapist and Personal Trainer. When you think of any exercise, you must weigh the benefit versus the risk. The hip movement is the big difference between the exercises. And one study found that 56 per cent of all soldiers' injuries related to the old fitness test were because of sit-ups. If you ever feel discomfort when you’re exercising, that’s also a sign you should consult with a professional. Or is there a proper way to do them that wont hurt my lower back? When the hip flexors contract, they add pressure to the lower back, but this is a normal biomechanical process. The US Marine Corps is also reviewing its physical fitness and body composition standards - in an attempt to improve fitness and reduce injuries. The hip flexors attach to the lower back and the pelvis. Almost 250,000 women are overdue cervical smear tests this year due to Covid-19 pandemic, NHS figures show... How Europe's Covid second wave started with Spanish migrant workers: New virus strain started with fruit... What tier are YOU in and why? Before beginning any exercise program, you should consult with a health care professional. Commanders are conducting the review and will present their findings by July 2016. The problem occurs when the lower back is irritated or injured because extra pressure from the hip flexors may increase discomfort. Personal trainers and military advisers in the US now believe that sit-ups are dangerous because they put too much pressure on the spine. thanks soo much! Experts argue the exercise is 'dangerous' because they put too much pressure on the spine. Sit ups should instead be replaced by the plank post - which is when you stay in the upward part of a push-up. A great exercise for the abdominals is crunches on a stability ball. One reason is that sit-ups are hard on your back - they push your curved spine against the floor and work your hip flexors, the muscles that run from the thighs to the lumbar vertebrae in the lower back. Pete McCall, spokesman for the American Council on Exercise, told the Wall St Journal that sit-ups are ‘an antiquity of exercise best left in the dustbin of fitness history’. The main reason crunches have taken over is the belief that full sit ups are bad for your back, and in this article we’ll explore the difference between the 2 exercises. Sit-ups are falling out of favour among fitness experts who say they should be consigned to the ‘dustbin of exercise history’ because they may cause back damage. Sit-ups are falling out of favour among fitness experts who say they should be consigned to the ‘dustbin of exercise history’ because they may cause back damage. Hopefully, that gives you a little more of a perspective about the difference between sit ups and crunches. In order to maximize functional strength, you should strive to exercise your joints through as much range of motion as possible while keeping good form and avoiding pain. Don’t Let Your Inner Critic Hold You Back, ***Self-discovery magic turns pain into powerful partnerships, ***Professionalism by Design – The art of success in any field. Raising the leg can put a lot of pressure on the spinal discs, so it’s best avoided. An editorial in Navy Times, which covers the US Navy, recently called for sit-ups to be banned completely. The entire weight of the body can shift to the lower back during a squat, placing too much stress on the lumbar spine, which can aggravate disc herniation. In 1990 a study ranked it as the sixth most burdensome condition in the US. Sit ups serve a very significant benefit for athletes. This goes double for sit-ups, which already carry a high risk of injury to the lower back. However, for non-athletes or people with lower back problems the risk of injury might outweigh the benefit. The US Army has already put 10,000 soldiers through a pilot of a revamped physical-fitness test that excluded sit-ups. 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