phillycard

I heard that although they provide a nice work out, that doing them will increase the protrusion of your oblique muscles. I have slight handles that I'm trying to eliminate, and I would rather have that toned midsection look. Should I avoid them until I get leaner and drop a few more pounds?

Pariah

All I know is that you can't selectively burn fat--the only way you can get rid of love handles are by burning more calories than you consume.

Crunches do build the musles under the fat, so I imagine your obliques might get a little bigger--but I doubt they'll get so big that anyone will mistake them for love handles if they're not.

I'd say if you like doing them, do them. You're buring calories. If you don't like doing them, don't...but do something else.

Just my $.02, and by no means a terribly educated one.

NEZCardsfan

Don't bother.

Just do your crunches with an increased range of motion.....like on a Swiss Ball.

Ryanwb

I think that's how he got into trouble in the first place

phillycard

phillycard

I've actually been doing that NEZ. I do inclines and declines and arc my range of motion to the sides. A Swiss Ball is one of those big exercise rubber balls, right?

Bada0Bing

I always throw in a quick set of these on each side at the end of my ab workout. They are tiny little muscles, so there’s no way they could be confused with handles. Usually they can’t even be seen until your bodyfat % gets pretty low.

NEZCardsfan

Si. Some people actually do all sorts of exercises on there.

The claim is that since you have to stabilize yourself you recruit more muscle fibers, or something. I believe that muscles fire all or nothing.

If you want you can try some DB Bench Presses on them. They did nothing for me.....didn't help move my poundages up 10 pounds. The only thing that moves my poundages up is time off, then Progressive cycling.