Wishing for the abs of a Victoria’s Secret model? One personal trainer insists that sticking to sit-ups won’t get you there.

Trainer Joslyn Thompson Rule said that crunches and sit-ups are not the way to tone your tummy, and even buckling down and doing up to 500 a day is unlikely to get you closer to your six-pack goals.

“Just doing sit-ups alone won’t get you rock hard abs because you’re only working to strengthen one singular area, which is like trying to build the outer layers of a house with no foundations underneath,” she explained.

So what exactly do sit-ups do? Rule said they work your “external muscles,” but don’t actually build up the core or the obliques that give you that washboard look.

That means that unless you’re doing sit-ups as part of a greater work-out routine — like with cardio and planks — you shouldn’t expect to see any visible results when looking at your tummy in the mirror.

Rule also stressed the importance of a healthy diet, which is the foundation of looking more muscular in the middle.

“What most people don’t realize is that the way our stomachs look has 90 percent to do with the food we eat and our overall nutrition,” she said. The trainer, who has been working in the field for 12 years, said that doing too many sit-ups can be harmful to other parts of your body.

“Increased amounts of sit-ups may exacerbate any tightness in the flexor chain (muscles along the front of the body),” she explained. “This in turn can lead to a weak lower back, putting pressure on the spine over time.”

Rule recommended trying planks, side planks, and hollow holds, which she likens to a reverse plank on the floor.

Those exercises strengthen the deep inner core muscles and don’t harm your back, she said — so they’re a win-win.

While she didn’t suggest giving up on sit-ups altogether, she did stress the need for making them just one part of a larger routine.

想要练成“维多利亚的秘密”模特的马甲线？一位私人教练告诉你做仰卧起坐不能让你如愿以偿。

教练乔斯琳· 汤普森· 鲁尔表示，单纯做仰卧起坐不能练出腹肌，甚至每天狂做500个仰卧起坐也不能让你实现六块腹肌的目标。她解释说，“只做仰卧起坐不能练腹肌，因为你仅仅是在锻炼一个身体部位，这就好比是为一个还没有地基的房子修建外墙。”

那么仰卧起坐到底有什么用？鲁尔说，做仰卧起坐锻炼了“外部肌肉”，实际上对斜肌没有作用，而后者才是练出马甲线的关键。这意味着，除了仰卧起坐，还要定期进行其他健身活动，比如有氧运动、平板支撑，否则就别指望着镜子里的肚子能看出任何效果。

鲁尔也强调了健康饮食的重要性，健康饮食是锻炼腹肌的基础。

她说，“大部分人没有意识到，腹部外形与我们的饮食、整体营养的关联度为90%。”这位教练已从事健身领域12年，她说，做过多的仰卧起坐对身体的其他部位是有损伤的。

“增加仰卧起坐的数量可能会加剧屈肌群收缩（身体前部位的肌肉）”，她说，“这反过来会损伤腰背部，长此以往会对脊柱造成压力。”

鲁尔建议平板支撑、侧平板式和空心支撑。她将空心支撑比喻为在地板上做反向平板。

她表示，这些锻炼会加强“深层核心肌肉”，不会对背部造成损伤，因此实属双赢的锻炼方法。

她并非建议完全放弃仰卧起坐，而是强调要不能光做仰卧起坐，还要定期做其他健身活动。

Words to Learn 相关词汇

    【努力从事】nǔlì cóngshì buckle down set to work with vigor, concentrate on one’s work

    【加剧】jiājù exacerbate increase the severity, bitterness, or violence of (disease, ill feeling, etc.), aggravate