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So popular is the crunch, that it even has a national fitness studio bearing its name. Every day, millions of people rush to the gym, with hopes of flattening their bellies or "losing inches," around their "stomach." Some perform hundreds of crunches on daily. Sadly, they rarely reach their goals. After months of practice, the only results of their efforts are a stiff neck and a bad back.

Why does the happen? The answer comes down to two phrases: False hopes and poor form. The "losing inches" concept has been proven to be mythology. The only way to lose inches is to burn fat through aerobic exercise. However, it is possible to tone the abdominal area by performing crunches.

To understand the biomechanics of a perfect crunch, it behooves you to learn a bit about abdominal anatomy. The crunch works the outer layer of abdominal muscle, known as the rectus abdominus. This muscle performs spinal flexion, which is the primary movement of crunching.

However, the deepest and often neglected abdominal muscle is called the transverse. It's activated by exhaling. Think of a balloon. To blow it up, we fill it with air. To deflate it, we let the air out. Your belly works the same way. Inhaling fills the diaphragm with air. Exhaling causes the transverse to press against the diaphragm to expel the air.

Since toning workouts literally sculpt the body, incorrect breathing patterns compromise the benefits of the crunch. If you're inhaling during flexion, your stomach is distended. This is not how you want to sculpt your belly.

Also, inhaling during flexion causes your abdominals to relax, thereby sending out an SOS to the muscles in your neck and back. In response, these workhorses cry out I'll save you, young lady!" But alas, since they're taking on the load without assistance, they eventually suffer from overuse injuries. The result: a tight neck and back, but loose and flaccid abs.

Now that we understand the problem, let's fix it.

1. Perform warmup stretches for your neck and back. This informs these overachievers that they should relax; your abdominals are fit for the task.

2. Lie on your back with your feet separated at pelvic width apart. Make sure that the top of your head is aligned with the base of your spine, and that your feet are equidistant from each other.

3. Place the tips of the finger of each hand on the side of your head, placed directly above each ear. Avoid lacing your fingers behind your head. It encourages jerking of the neck.

4. Inhale to prepare, and do a small nod of the head. Avoid tucking your chin, or focusing up at the ceiling. These positions put undue strain on the neck. The head nod puts the neck in a neutral position.

5. As you exhale, draw your navel to your spine, and lift your upper torso from the floor. Think of bringing your rib cage towards your pelvis, as opposed to bringing your head towards your knees.

6. Pause at the top of the movement, and take a small breath in. Try not to let your stomach expand.

7. Exhale and return. This may sound like odd advice. However, if you inhale as you return, you may jut your ribs forward, which encourages poor alignment.

Movements should be smooth and controlled, not fast and jerky. Emphasize both phases of the crunch.
On one set take four counts to flex, pause at the top, and then come down on two counts. Next, take two counts to flex, pause, and then come down for four counts. This emphasizes the eccentric or lengthening phase, which helps create that coveted long and lean look. Posture, diet, aerobic exercise and perfect form influence the appearance of your abdominal muscles. Go for it! This isn't the dress rehearsal!

Learn more about this author, Lisa Marie Mercer.
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