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Can Abdominal Crunches Alone Cause Stomach Weight Loss?

The quest for flat tummies and six-pack abs are the reason that at any given time of day you'll find at least one or two people doing crunches in the gym -- and many more crunching away at home. An activity that requires effort, crunches do burn calories, but they don't necessarily burn off the belly fat you're targeting. Your waistline measurement may even increase from crunches because you're firming up the muscles beneath a layer of fat.

  1. Target Reduction Truth

    • Crunches alone won't burn fat from your midsection for two reasons. First, your body has a mind of its own when it comes to taking off weight. It's programmed to burn the fat equally from all it stores, not just the areas you're working. Additionally, fat usually burns in a "last on, first off" order. That means your newest fat deposits will be the first to go once you start burning, so if your stomach wasn't the last place you put on weight, it won't be the first to start losing. Additionally, since crunches aren't a metabolic exercise, they don't cause enough of a change in your metabolism to trigger your body to burn fat.

    Balanced Workout

    • Just because crunches alone won't burn off belly weight isn't a reason to forsake them altogether. Since crunches shape and tone your upper abs, feel free to include them as part of a high-intensity exercise regime, such as circuit and interval workouts that incorporate resistance training with aerobic exercise like sprinting. On ShapeFit.com, Ian Graham explains that this type of metabolic training gives you the desirable "after-burn effect," and influences your metabolism to continue burning at a higher rate for 24 to 48 hours after you've finished working out.

    Diet's Role

    • Don't overlook the importance of diet when you want to lose weight around your middle and everywhere else. You could be participating in an intense workout program, but if you're still eating more calories than you're burning, you won't see results. If you have a fondness for junk foods with empty calories you can make your weight-loss efforts more effective just by changing what you eat. This gives your body fuel it can use to build muscle and power you through your workouts. Though lean meat is often the first and most logical item to include in a healthy diet, you don't have to totally avoid fat if you partake of healthy fats like fish oils and nuts. Choose lean dairy products, like skim milk, or remove them from your diet overall. Remember to eat one or two servings of fruit each day and pile on the vegetables.

    Flattening Your Stomach

    • After you lose the belly fat, you still need more than just crunches to flatten your stomach and get that six pack of your dreams. Crunches effectively target your upper abs, but you need exercises that work your transversus abdominus muscles to flatten your lower abs and cinch in your waist. In her 2009 book "Knack Weight Training for Women," Leah Garcia tells readers that if they do one one ab exercise each day, they should make it a TVA exercise. Garcia goes on to describe an effective TVA exercise that starts out on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. This keeps your lower back from arching up, allowing you to engage your TVA. With your arms straight out to your sides and palms on the floor, press your spine to the floor, tuck in your pelvis and contract your abs as if you were trying to pull your bellybutton to the floor. Raise your left foot off the floor, keeping your knee bent and continuing to press your lower back into the floor. Bring your knee back until it is at a 90-degree angle to your upper body, then lower it to the starting position in a controlled movement, keeping your core muscles taut. Repeat the exercise with your right leg. One set consists of 10 repetitions with each leg; do a total of three sets.

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