Your mattress is designed to support you as you sink your entire body weight in for sleep, nike air max 90 not to provide a firm surface that keeps your muscles aligned as you exercise. If your mattress is very soft or has sagging spots, you could end up overworking the muscles of your back, legs or chest as you exercise. Stick with a firm mattress instead or try putting a board underneath an unstable mattress.

Form Considerations

As you sink into your mattress, it can be challenging to maintain proper form. When you're doing crunches, it's key to press the small of your back into the ground to keep your spine aligned and your abs working. Ensure that your back is straight and that you're using the muscles of your abs. If your mattress is unstable or excessively soft, you could end up rocking rather than doing crunches, so pay careful attention to your posture at every step of the crunch.

Back Pain

If you suffer from back pain, doing crunches on the bed might seem like a great way to get back support. nike sb Doing crunches on a hard floor can drive your spine into the floor, causing an increase in pain, but crunches on a mattress can also increase pain, particularly if you practice poor form and overuse your back muscles. If you have back problems, it's generally better to use a firm exercise mat rather than a bed.

Ideal Crunches

The American Council on Exercise conducted a study in 2001 to uncover the most effective abdominal exercises, and several crunches were near the top of the list. For maximum benefits in your rectus abdominus, try a crunch on an exercise ball rather than a bed. If you're looking to work your obliques, bicycle crunches and traditional crunches can work well, nike air max 1 and you can easily do these exercises on a bed.