Welcome to the Get Fit Guys' quick and dirty tips to slim down and shape up.

My name is Brock Armstrong and I'm the Get Fit Guy.

Crunches are easily the most common of the abdominal exercises,

but they are certainly not the most effective way to strengthen your core.

Core training is about much more than flattening your belly.

Working your core effectively can improve your stability, maintain mobility, and reduce

injuries of all kinds.

If you are the lone soul in the corner of the gym doing hundreds of crunches and sit-ups

in hopes of achieving a six-back,

well, you may be crunching in vain.

Unlike many coaches out there, though, I don't have a problem with sit-ups and crunches or

most of their derivatives.

I just don't like it when they're called core workouts.

Doing a ton of crunches can be an effective way

to train some very specific abdominal muscles, including the rectus abdominis, and to a lesser

extent, the external and internal oblique muscles. But what is often forgotten or completely skipped

are the other muscles that make up the core.

Simply focusing on your abs alone is an improper way to use your torso and can lead to some

imbalances and pain.

We need a strong core to maintain a stable torso while we move through this world, whether we're lifting heavy

items, carrying heavy loads, or transferring power from our hips while throwing a ball

or using a broom. A stable core with the capacity to resist the push and pull of outside forces

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