If anyone is still doubting the fact the there are much better ways to exercise and strengthen the core and improve the abdominal strength than by doing sit-ups and crunches, please read about how the US Army is phasing out sit-ups due to spine injuries in this BonatiInstitute blog post and in this Daily Mail Article. According to the referred articles military advisers now believe that sit-ups are dangerous because they put too much pressure on the spine. Apparently the Canadian Armed Forces have also phased out sit-ups since they may damage the spine.
Now, since this is a blog about women and their bodies after giving birth it's worth repeating that sit-ups and crunches are particularly bad to women since they put too much pressure on the abdominal wall and the pelvic floor. By doing them you can make diastasis recti (abdominal muscle split, which is common during, and after pregnancy) worse. By doing them you can actually harm your post-pregnancy belly and body instead of helping it heal. According to the articles the military advisers and personal trainers now recommend that the sit-ups should be replaced by planks. I would like to add that the plank is one of the most challenging exercises when it comes to abdominal pressure why I don't recommend women who are still recovering from pregnancy to do them. Make sure to heal and reactivate your abdominal muscles first. The key is to recover your strength from inside and out. Lear more in my Post-Pregnancy Belly Guide.
Read more about Why sit-ups and crunches are bad for you.
//Nicole Hellgren
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