8 benefits of doing sit-ups that you may not have known about

Physical exercise brings many benefits to our health, both physical and psychological.

However, there are many people who simply choose to engage in regular physical activity to improve their fitness. Nonetheless, the practice of physical exercise should always be focused on well-being and with the aim of improving our general health.

• Related article: “The 10 psychological benefits of practicing physical exercise”

The reality of training the abs

The abdominals are a muscle group that is located in the middle area of ​​the body and that determines a large part of our movements. Working this area indirectly affects the rest of the body and improves, for example, our body posture. Working the abdominals helps prevent injuries, aches and pains.

Obsessing over abs is not a good option, as this can cause us to overtrain that area. For those who want to work on their physical appearance, if they really want to mark the core area, it's no use spending hours and hours working on that area. The best results appear when a mixed training is carried out, that is, strength and aerobic.

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Benefits of doing crunches

But far from the impact that our abs can have on our body image, developing this part of the body can help us in our day-to-day life.

Surely you will ask yourself: What are these benefits? What does abdominal work bring me? besides a nice body? Below you can find the answer to these questions.

1. Reduce back pain

Strong abs are good for the back, especially the middle and lower back. When we have little worked abs we are forcing the back to work harder and bear more weight. That is why it is essential to work the core for any daily activity. For example when bending down to pick up something.

If we distribute the weight towards the abdominal area, we will have less risk of feeling back pain. Abdominal work helps this muscle to lift more weight and get less fatigued.

2. improve posture

Therefore, one of the most important benefits of working this area of ​​the body is to strengthen abdominal muscles, which helps maintain a good position and relieve tension in the back. strong abs improve good posture, which reduces wear on the spine.

Poor posture is a problem because it can lead to complications such as a herniated disc and, with age, wear and tear on certain areas of the the spine causes the natural posture to be deviated, causing the body weight to be distributed inappropriately and, in turn, appear other issues.. In addition, a good posture makes us physically more attractive.

3. Helps prevent injuries

As you can see, abdominal work not only helps reduce back pain, but the correct posture when doing any daily work prevents injuries. Either, as mentioned in the previous point, to prevent complications such as a herniated disc or to avoid lower back pain When making a bad gesture, strong abs help us prevent the appearance of serious physical problems and ailments.

4. improves balance

Working the abdominals improves control of body balance, since these are the support of our trunk, and if these muscles are not the ones that do that job, another part of our anatomy will do iti.e. the back. The results of this can be dire for this part of the body. And it is that almost in every movement we make the lower back comes into play and, consequently, it can make the latter develop much more than the abdominal area.

To find balance and balance, it is necessary to do specific abdominal work, otherwise problems such as scoliosis or lordosis could appear. Balance comes into play every day: if you walk on an uneven surface or when you take a wrong step on a curb.

5. breathe better

Physical training and breathing training go hand in hand. The development of stronger breathing muscles, such as the diaphragm and intercostals, translates into better core strength, according to a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. At the same time, a stronger core allows for easier and more performed breathing. correct, so if we get used to it we will perform better by maximizing the amount of oxygen that we obtain.

6. Improve sports performance

All sports use the core of the body for stabilization and action. Whether catching a ball, throwing it or twisting your torso while swimming, abdominal function is key.

All of these movements emanate from strong abdominal muscles and, in addition to preventing injury, this aids in recovery and healing. Training the abdominal area has an indirect effect on sports performance. For example, it helps us kick harder, swim faster, or jump higher.

7. Work functional strength

The functional force is the force necessary to carry out the activities of the day to day, that is to say, it is the force that you use to carry out the tasks that you usually do. This is normal, since this group of muscles is involved in an enormous variety of movements and tasks. Working the abdominal area you will notice the results in your daily activities, not only when practicing a sport.

8. Protected organs

Among the benefits of having strong abs we find that they protect our organs. The abdominal area is a part of the body where most of the vital organs of the body are located. our body, so it is important that there is a thick layer that keeps them well isolated from the around. The abs act as a shield to protect them.