RECONsider... Crunches are making your worse with Bill Hartman | Episode #68

Jul 27, 2025

30:48

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Learn the truth about health and performance from Bill Hartman at http://uhp.network

Episode Overview

Bill and Chris unpack the widespread misuse of “core training” — especially crunches — as a solution for back pain or a shortcut to aesthetics. They challenge the isolative logic behind ab-focused exercises, arguing that these strategies often reinforce compression, reduce movement options, and degrade systemic adaptability. Drawing from UHPC principles, they reframe the core not as a region to be strengthened, but as a dynamic interface for managing pressure, guiding shape change, and enabling forward propulsion. Crunches may feel productive, but they often compromise what the system truly needs: coherence. #coreworkout #fitness #physicaltherapy #movement #absworkout

Key Topics & Chapter Highlights

00:00 – Crunches Reinforce the Problem

01:20 – Segmental Training Misses the System

04:00 – Compression Restricts Access

06:00 – Creating Space vs. Forcing Downforce

10:00 – What the “Core” Actually Does

13:00 – Pressure ≠ Strength

16:00 – Breath and Base Before Load

20:00 – Trade-offs of Aesthetic Focus

27:00 – A Coherent Core Sequence

Key Takeaways

Crunches constrain, they don’t liberate