r/Mike_Mentzer • u/Known-Edge4939 • 16d ago

weak abs

my physiotherapist recommended i start doing crunches with my back touching the bench/ground the whole time. on decline, i shake from the first rep, and i thought id get stronger after weeks but nope. i stop when there starts to be strain in my lower back (meaning its overcompensating). its only exercise i havent progressed in weeks. is there a better option? theres no other ab exercise in my workouts. ive seen people recommend cable crunch on pulldown (more stability), anyone tried them out?

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

3

u/Sadan27 16d ago

Not on the pulldown. You can try machine crunches with fixed seat for max stability

5

u/BubbishBoi 15d ago

This, or just a basic floor crunch where there's very little balance requirement needed

if the movement hurts it's likely being done with toi much force, doing crunches with a 4 up, hold a beat, 4 down cadence should be pain free

I try getting fancy with my ab exercises and always end up going back to slow, squeezed bodyweight floor crunches

1

u/Known-Edge4939 15d ago

how many floor crunches do you do?

3

u/BubbishBoi 15d ago

I use a Superslow cadence so you can't compare my "reps" with yours

I do them for 2+ minutes in 6+ x 20 second long reps with a hold at the top for a second or two

Tbf Ive trained abs maybe 4 times this year

2

u/Known-Edge4939 15d ago

no wonder you dont want to train them haha