Is it worth doing the "fold" exercise to build abs

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

It is believed that the exercise works great on the abdominal muscles, but can harm the lower back.

What is the fold exercise

During the “fold” exercise, the person lies on his back, removes his hands behind his head, bends his knees, and then raises the body until he reaches a sitting position and returns to the floor. In this case, the feet can remain free or fixed.

The "crease" is often used to assess the strength and endurance of the abdominal muscles. It is used in Russian schools and universities, it is used to assess the physical condition of schoolchildren and students in the United States, as well as to check and train the military.

It is not surprising that with such popularity, the "fold" exercise is the first thing that comes to mind when they talk about pumping the abdominal muscles. But despite its widespread use, scientists and trainers have doubts whether this movement is really safe and effective.

Is the fold exercise really dangerous?

The abdominal fold provides more stress on the lower back. During a full lift of the body, the lumbar spine is bent at an angle of 38 ° (in twisting - only 3 °).

Excessive flexion and extension of the trunk during a fold increases pressure on the intervertebral discs in the lumbar spine, which in the long term can harm them. It is also believed that the fold can badly affect the back due to the high activity of the hip flexor muscles.

Because the psoas muscle attaches to the lower spine, if over-stressed, it can pull the spine forward, increasing shear force, and increasing the risk of lower back problems.

But despite the fact that scientists have known about the high load on the lower back in the "fold" for thirty years, this exercise is still used in various systems of physical training.

And there is not a single study that directly links it to low back pain or degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs.

In one experiment, the risk of injury during training was assessed for military personnel performing the fold exercise and other abdominal movements. The frequency of damage was the same in both groups of soldiers.

It can be concluded that if you do not have problems with the lower back, and the exercise does not cause you unpleasant sensations and pain, you can do it. Another question is whether it is really the most effective for pumping muscles or are there better options.

Does the fold exercise work well for the abdominal muscles?

According to the study Low back loads over a variety of abdominal exercises: searching for the safest abdominal challenge using electromyography (EMG) - measuring the electrical potential in a working muscle - the "fold" exercise really provides a good load on the rectus and oblique abdominal muscles.

But still there is a better exercise - lifting straight legs in the hanging on a horizontal bar. This movement not only activates both the rectus and oblique abdominal muscles more, but also provides less compression in the lumbar spine.

In another study, it was found that rolling with a roller loads the abdominal muscles 1.5-2 times better than a "fold". Also, more activity in the muscles was noticed during the reverse twists on the bench at an incline of 30 ° and the raises of the knees to the chest in the hanging with support on the loops.

Exercise "fold" well loads the rectus and oblique abdominal muscles, but is inferior to lifting the legs in the hanging on a horizontal bar, reverse twisting on an incline bench and rolling with a roller.

In addition to directly measuring muscle activity, the researchers also tested how exercising for a specified period of time would affect abdominal strength and endurance.

One study compared how six weeks of doing "curls" and "curls" would affect the results of a test of strength and endurance of the abdominal muscles. It turned out that the former helps to improve the test results, while the latter does not.

But when the "fold" exercise was compared with other movements on the core muscles, the results were completely different.

The experiment was conducted on the military, included almost 1.5 thousand participants and lasted 12 weeks. One group of participants performed different versions of the "fold", the other - twisting, side planks on both sides, the exercises "lumberjack", "bird-dog" and gluteal bridge.

At the end of the experiment, people from both groups got equally good results: those who did not do the fold exercise did as many repetitions as those who did it regularly. Moreover, different movements on the core muscles helped more soldiers pass the test than doing the "fold".

It can be concluded that in the long term, it increases the endurance and strength of the press better than crunches. But at the same time, the movement can be replaced with a program of different exercises for the core muscles and not lose in the results.

Who should do the exercise and who shouldn't

So, the fold exercise is right for you if you are confident in the health of your lower back and want to pump your muscles with one simple and familiar movement without a horizontal bar and a roller for the press.

If you already have back problems or you sit for a long time and periodically experience pain and discomfort in the lower back, it is better to replace the classics with other exercises: twisting with the lower back pressed to the floor, a bar, a "bicycle".

These movements will also pump the core muscles well, but at the same time they will not provide a large load on the spine.

How to do the fold exercise correctly

Lie on the floor with your hands behind your head. Bend your knees at a right angle and place your feet on the floor. You can fix your legs by asking another person to hold your ankles, or tuck your feet under a low support, such as heavy dumbbells. But keep in mind that with weak abdominal muscles, the hip flexors can take the load.

So if you have not practiced for a long time, at first it is better to perform the movement without fixing the feet.

With an exhalation, tighten your abs and lift your body to a sitting position. Without lingering at the top point, return your back to the floor and repeat again.

Try to spread your elbows to the sides and do not put pressure on your neck while lifting - let only your fingers touch the back of your head.

Tighten the abs constantly and perform the lift with an exhalation or holding the breath after it. This will put more stress on your abdominal muscles and prevent your hip flexors from taking on the load.

How to add exercise to your workouts

If you are only going to build abs with the crease exercise only, try the training method from the student study mentioned above.

First, do the test: do as many movements as you can in two minutes. Divide the resulting reps by two - this will be your starting set.

Let's say you managed to make 60 "folds" in two minutes. In this case, the starting set will include 30 reps.

Follow the three starting sets. If you manage to complete all reps without muscle failure, add a fourth set with the same number of reps. If you succeed, on the next workout, change the number of repetitions to 75% of what you managed to do in the test, and again do three approaches. In our example, this will be 45 repetitions.

When you manage to complete three approaches without rejection, add the fourth, and then move on to 90% of the amount in the test. We will have it 54 times per set. Do this three times a week, doing the fold exercise after your main workout or on non-stress days.

If you want to pump not only the abs, but also other core muscles, as well as avoid a heavy load on the back, alternate the "fold" with other movements.

How to replace the fold exercise

If you are worried about your lower back, replace the movement with safer alternatives.

Twisting

Lie on your back, bend your knees at right angles and place your feet on the floor. Move your hands behind your head, but do not press on it so as not to harm your neck. Press your lower back to the floor, tighten your stomach and lift your shoulder blades off the floor. Lower back and repeat.

Bike

Lie on your back, put your hands behind your head, and press your lower back against the mat. Tear off the shoulder blades from the floor and raise your straight legs low. At the same time, unfold the body and bend one leg, reaching with the elbow of the opposite hand to the knee. Then do the same on the other side.

Alternate sides at a vigorous pace. Tighten your stomach and keep your legs on the floor until the end of the set.

Plank

Stand upright, place your wrists under your shoulders, draw in your stomach and tilt your pelvis back, stretching your pubic bone towards your navel. Check that your body is in a straight line from your shoulders to your heels and your lower back is in a neutral position. Tighten your glutes to avoid arching your back.

Hold the position for 30-60 seconds, depending on how long you manage to maintain the correct shape.