Do you even lift, AF bro?

[Strider]

I'm afraid I have to chime in again and agree with Strider: crunches are a worthless vanity exercise. If your goal is to really strengthen your abdominal muscles, stick with good old-fashioned sit-ups and/or leg lifts.

I'm not opposed to direct core work like sit-ups, leg lifts, Russian twists, and so on, but IMO even those aren't necessary to build a strong, stable core. Deadlifting, squatting, and overhead pressing with good form and a tight core will do wonders for abs with little else required. For instance, I did front squats the other day and my obliques were very sore the next day despite not doing any abdominal work whatsoever. Same thing when I do deadlifts; my abs are always a bit sore afterwards because I brace my core hard to stabilize myself for the lift.

I sometimes do direct core work, but I usually only do planks and/or some variety of twist.