You already know about the benefits of working out in the morning and at night. But if your #gymspiration is to have abs by summer, then there's a specific time of day you should be doing crunches--->
[Photos: Shutterstock]
The best time of day to do crunches for optimal results is in the afternoon. Why? It all has to do with your spine. First thing in the morning is not the time to be pushing it.
When you sleep, your spine naturally lengths (as long as you're lying in a reclined position!). This happens because the flexible intervertebral discs between your vertebrae compress slightly over the course of a day, and uncompress at night when you're lying down.
So when you wake up, you could be a little taller than you normally are (cool!).
But what does this mean for your flat-stomach workout?
Ab exercises can compress your spine and damage the discs that uncompress at night. So when you wake up all decompressed, doing ab exercises right away is like a shock to your spine. Your discs spent the night taking in water and expanding, so give them some time to recover and save your crunches for later in the day!
For more workout tips, check out: 5 tips to stay on the treadmill longer and the worst exercise machine at the gym according to a trainer
