Intro & request for advice

[dorothean]

I just joined yesterday. I had a vacation recently during which I took a lot of day hikes, and remembered how much I like feeling strong and capable in my body. So I've decided to keep up my physical activity and see just how strong and capable I can be.

My request is for advice about strengthening my torso. I know a lot of exercises for my legs and arms, but not many for my back, chest or abdominal muscles. I can do crunches, and when I was at university the student gym had a wonderful contraption for back muscles (no idea what it was called - supported me face-down at the waist and legs, and I could hang down and pull myself up like upside-down sit-ups) but I don't have that anymore. I also know about flyes for the pectoral muscles.

What else can I do?

I have two five-pound weights and one twenty-pound one, and access to a squalid, underequipped gym at my apartment complex. I can't buy any special equipment now, or pay for classes or a membership, although if you find something very important, I'd like to hear about it. I don't have any relevant health problems, and I am fit enough to hike eight miles over a mountain in one day (huzzah!), but have trouble even figuring out which muscles to attempt to engage in doing a push-up.

Comments

[vass]

Planks! Much more useful than crunches!

Also: Stumptuous. It has lots of advice on workouts and lifting things, and how to get by without a lot of equipment. Science-based, and 100% less macho than most sites about strength training.

[rydra_wong]

This! There's an emerging consensus that crunches are kind of crappy for doing anything except stressing your back (spines not being designed to be exposed to shearing forces while flexed like that); it's much more useful to do things like planks that work your muscles' ability to stabilize your spine in a "neutral" position.

And Stumptuous is full of good stuff. There's an article on push-ups (and how to get to one) which might be especially relevant to your interests:

http://www.stumptuous.com/mistressing-the-pushup

Also, lifting_heavy_things, which has had some fun posts on "stuff you can do with no equipment for no money".

[dorothean]

Thank you! Yeah, I heard that full sit-ups weren't good for you, but that crunches were okay -- it makes sense that they aren't, though, and the planks I just did felt 100x more effective anyway.

*joins lifing_heavy_things*

In which I tl;dr, because I geek out about this stuff

[rydra_wong]

Crunches are definitely safer than sit-ups, but, as I understand it, they still exclusively exercise one muscle (the rectus abdominis) and one muscular action (torso flexion, bringing your shoulders and pelvis closer together).

Which a) most people don't need to work*, and b) will badly screw up your posture and thence your back if you don't balance it out with exercises that extend the back (if you think about it, a crunch consists of repeatedly and forcefully bringing your back into a slouched/hunched position).

So: you don't need to do crunches, and exercises like planks which work all the muscles needed to stabilize the spine (and also teach you how to find and hold that neutral position, which is key to all sorts of other exercises, whether that's push-ups or deadlifts) are going to be more useful and more effective.

*Exceptions would be people like mixed martial artists and anyone else who does a grappling sport, where you may need to headlock your opponent and force their head down.

[dorothean]

....planks are AMAZING!

Also, no wonder I have trouble with push-ups, especially full-body ones -- I've been focusing on my chest and shoulder weakness, but of course I need to be able to hold my waist rigid too. Huh.

Stumptuous seems excellent, thanks!