Triathlon Training: Stomach Crunches
Do endless stomach crunches improve triathlon performance? Pro triathlete and Triathlon Plus contributer Spencer Smith investigates.
Are crunches worthwhile? (Photo: Greg Habermann)
We all know the challenges training for a triathlon can bring to one’s life. Time becomes a very precious commodity, especially for those who have school, jobs, and families to think about too. So just when you think you have everything balanced, and every workout neatly scheduled into your day, up pops a magazine article about how you need to supplement your training with even more training, such as yoga, stretching, core, and the list goes on.
In fact, as I write this very article, I am sure someone somewhere is thinking up a new type of workout that will undeniably make you the world’s best triathlete if only you add it to your already crazy life. Maddening, isn’t it? Yet if it will make us faster, we must give it a try, right? Well, there is one thing you may be able to knock off of your list of things to do.
As a pro triathlete I have done my share of core training over the years. I have never been a huge fan of extracurricular training (weights, core and so on) during the racing season, but I do think in moderation they do have some merits before racing begins. There are even some who say that an overly tight abdominals can limit breathing and air intake. I am not sure if this is true. My opinion is that too much extra training just makes athletes more tired in general.
My own core training consisted of working with the BOSU (which looks like half a physio ball on a board), the physio ball and doing planks. I would do about 20 minutes of core work, twice each week. I really never fancied stomach crunches, so those were done very sparingly. I don’t know if adding core sessions to my triathlon training made me a better, faster, triathlete but gaining a six-pack was a nice side effect. I mean, let’s be honest, who doesn’t want a six-pack?
The buzz around core workouts has been huge for many years now. So when I came across a recent study done by researchers at Indiana State University I was curious to say the least. The study examined the relationship between a strong core and athleticism.
What the researchers found was that the subjects with the strongest cores were not always the best athletes and did not outperform those with weaker cores. The senior author Thomas Nesser suggested that when you train for any specific sport your core will develop and strengthen enough to support that specific sport, and there is no need for separate core training.
A separate study on collegiate rowers gave similar results and after an intense period of core training (eight weeks) the rowers did not improve their time trial results. Another study even found that stomach crunches can cause damage to the spinal discs. Despite this, there are some studies that suggest there are benefits to core training. For example, one study on a group of adult beginner runners indicated that core training did improve 5k running time.
Most of the research findings sound like common sense to me. And it mimics what I have always believed. Do triathletes need a six-pack? No. Will stomach crunches make you faster? Probably not. But will a strong core make you less injury prone? Yes, I believe so.
As triathletes we rank among the fittest in any sport. We all swim, bike and run, day-in and day-out. Some triathletes are diligent about training their cores, some are not. If you have plenty of time after completing your key triathlon sessions you could use core strength to supplement your training, but this shouldn’t include doing endless stomach crunches. Think of core strength work as a way to increase your balance and improve your posture. Doing core work might not turn you into Chrissie Wellington or Alistair Brownlee overnight, but it could help you to train more consistently in the long term.
This article was originally published in Triathlon Plus magazine. Save time and money by having every issue delivered to your door or digital device by subscribing to the print edition or buying digitally through Zinio or Apple Newsstand.
You’ll find loads more triathlon training tips, workouts and nutrition advice in triradar’s online Training Zone.
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Posted on Friday, December 2nd, 2011 at 5:00 am under Training Advice. You can subscribe to comments. Comments are closed.
