Crunches vs. Core Exercises

 OPENING ARGUMENTS  DEFENSE  Crunches are not only safe and effective but also the best exercise for developing the abs.  PROSECUTION Spinal flexion (bending the spine forward), as in crunches, has been shown to place a lot of stress on the disks and should be replaced with core exercises that do not flex the spine, such as the plank.  EVIDENCE  The research showing that flexion of the spine places a lot of stress on the spinal disks was done in isolated pig cervica