Stop Doing Crunches (They're Making You Weaker)

You can bang out 50 crunches.
Cool. So can a 7th grader.

But can you hold a plank without shaking like a wet dog?
Can you brace under a barbell or carry your kid without your back screaming?
Can you take a shove without falling over?

Most people think “core” means six-pack abs.

Wrong.

Your core isn’t for show — it’s for survival.
You don’t crunch in real life (unless you’re bolting upright at 2 a.m. from a calf cramp).

You brace. You stabilize. You resist force.

That weak-ass ab circuit isn’t cutting it.

Your core fires before you even move.

It pre-braces your spine 30 milliseconds before you lift your arm or take a step.

It's not one muscle - it's a cylinder of support that includes:

Most guys think they're training their core.
They're not. They're just burning it out with half-baked ab circuits.

What they get wrong:

Mistake 1: Training one direction - Crunch, crunch, crunch. Your spine can only take so much flexion. Meanwhile, rotation and stability get ignored completely.

Mistake 2: Chasing the burn - The burn doesn't mean strength. It means you picked a shitty exercise with zero carryover. Train for control, not fatigue.

Mistake 3: Making it an afterthought - Tacking core work onto the end when you're gassed is worthless. You can't out-rep poor positioning.

Mistake 4: Confusing Abs With Core Strength
A six-pack doesn’t equal stability. You can look shredded and still have no real strength where it counts. Plus, visible abs come from low body fat and genetics, not endless crunches.

If you want a core that works, train it that way.

Focus on these pillars:

1. Anti-Extension (Resist Overarching)
Prevents your spine from overarching under load.

2. Anti-Rotation (Fight Twist and Torque)
Stops you from getting pulled off-center under force.

3. Rotation / Power Generation
Trains your core to generate force, not just absorb it.

4. Total System / Functional Core
Your core working as the bridge between upper and lower body.

I’ll be showcasing all these moves on Instagram this week — starting with anti-extension today. Follow along here → @thecodebyalex

The system:

Warm-up Activation
Dead bugs, side planks.

Mid-workout
Cable chops, farmer walks.

Train with intent.
Your body will thank you.

Crunches are easy. Control isn’t.

A strong core isn't built for show — it's built to brace, hold, and perform under pressure.

Train it like it matters.
Because it does.

Train Hard.
Think Deep.
Live with Intent.

— The CODE

P.S. If you really wanna crunch, fine — but keep it limited. Think garnish, not the main course. Crunches aren’t evil, they’re just not the foundation.