Weight loss depends upon expending more calories through physical activity than you are taking in from food and drink. The crunch is a commonly used exercise that primarily strengthens the abdominal muscles. Since contracting a muscle requires the use of energy, you will burn more calories performing crunches than you would at rest. In fact, doing any form of physical activity will increase the number of calories you burn, so that as long as you are maintaining or decreasing the number of calories you ingest, you will eventually lose weight.
Spot-Reducing
Although crunches require energy in the form of calories and strengthen the abdominal muscles, this does not mean that doing lots of crunches will flatten your stomach. A commonly held belief that you can spot-reduce, or decrease the amount of fat you have in a specific area of your body, has been debunked by many studies. According to the American Council on Exercise, this is because fat loss occurs throughout the entire body--not just the area you are working. Fortunately, crunches are a strengthening exercise that builds muscle and muscle tissue requires more calories to maintain than does fat. If you combine crunches with a few strengthening exercises for the rest of your body, you might jump-start your metabolism enough to see some positive changes in your body.
Frequency
If you were to stop reading this article for a moment and perform 10 to 15 crunches, you would be burning more calories than if you stayed in your seat. However, the added benefit of increased muscle mass and thus increased metabolism does not occur immediately. According to a study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, it takes about three weeks of regular strength training before you gain muscle. In addition, with any strengthening exercise, you need to do enough repetitions to fatigue the muscles you are working in order to build muscle. You also need to do the exercise a minimum of twice per week in order to achieve significant muscle growth. Leave at least one day of rest between workouts for your abdominal muscles, however, to allow the muscles enough time to rebuild.
Types
The word "crunch" may refer to several variations of abdominal exercises. The standard crunch involves lying on the floor and contracting the abs to lift the shoulders off the ground. The crunch and twist is similar to the standard crunch, except that you are twisting slightly to the right or left as your shoulders come off the ground. You can also vary your leg position to target different areas of the abdominal muscles. Raising your legs toward the ceiling, for instance, helps you to feel the exercise more in the lower part of your abdomen. Performing a variety of different forms of the crunch allows you to use different parts of your abdominal muscles so that you do not tire or become bored as easily, allowing you to burn more calories and contribute to more weight loss.
Equipment
Although the standard crunch requires no equipment except for your own body, there are many pieces of fitness equipment that claim to make crunches more effective. According to a study performed by the American Council on Exercise and San Diego State University, the stability ball crunch is one of the most effective abdominal muscle exercises and can activate the abdominal muscles more than just the standard crunch. The stability ball can also be used for crunches with a twist and other core strengthening exercises, and it is inexpensive. The ab roller, which is a curved metal bar that allows you to rest your head as you crunch, was found to be more effective than the standard crunch, but less effective than the stability ball crunch. Dumbbells, medicine balls and even text books can also add more weight to your crunch than just your upper body weight can provide, allowing you to build more muscle and burn more calories than a standard crunch.
Technique
The technique with which you perform a crunch also affects the number of calories you burn and thus its effectiveness at helping you lose weight. One way to increase the effectiveness of the crunch is to activate your abdominal muscles before you even start. Drawing your navel toward your spine will activate even the inner layers of your abdominal muscles. Also focus on curling your abdomen by bringing your rib cage toward your pelvis, rather than sitting straight up. Keeping the back straight and sitting up uses your hip flexor muscles rather than your abdominal muscles. The hip flexors are much stronger and more efficient than your abs, so they require fewer calories to perform the movement. Finally, try to relax your neck by supporting your head gently with your hands. Tensing your neck muscles does burn a few extra calories per crunch, but it will also make you tired faster so that you cannot perform as many crunches as you would with a relaxed neck.
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