Health
Crunches by age: Here's how many you should be able to do
How many crunches can you do — and how does that stack up with others your age?
That was the question posed by “FOX & Friends” on Monday, when fitness expert Joseph David challenged hosts Brian Kilmeade and Lawrence Jones to compete in a crunches challenge.
In the segment, Kilmeade did crunches and Jones did sit-ups with a 25-pound weight.
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“Your core is the base of everything, and the No. 1 thing you have to be able to do is pick yourself up, mentally and physically — so it starts with core,” said David, who is a certified personal trainer with Life Time in New York.
“Any movement is good movement.”
Fitness trainer Joseph David shared an estimate of how many crunches men and women should be able to complete based on age. (Fox News)
Below is a breakdown of how many crunches men and women should be able to complete based on age, according to David.
People in their 20s should be able to do 40 to 50 crunches.
People in their 30s should be able to do 30 to 40 crunches.
People in their 40s should be able to do 20 to 30 crunches.
People in their 50s should be able to do 15 to 25 crunches.
People 60 and over should be able to do 10 to 20 crunches.
“There’s no magic number you ‘should’ be able to do based on age, since fitness levels really vary.”
Celebrity personal trainer Kollins Ezekh echoed those guidelines, but also noted that it’s all about what works for each individual.
“There’s no magic number you ‘should’ be able to do based on age, since fitness levels really vary,” he told Fox News Digital. “If you can’t do that many yet, no worries — just focus on getting stronger over time.”
Benefits of crunches
Crunches are essential for building core strength, according to Ezekh, who is based in Los Angeles.
“A strong core is super important because it keeps everything stable,” he said.
On Monday’s “FOX & Friends,” fitness expert Joseph David challenged hosts Brian Kilmeade and Lawrence Jones to compete in a crunches challenge. (Fox News)
“Whether you’re walking, working out or just sitting, your core muscles are engaged. If your core is weak, your back and other muscles have to do extra work, which can lead to pain or injury.”
It’s not just athletes who need a strong core, he added — “everyday activities like bending down to tie your shoes or picking up groceries become way easier when your core is in check.”
Crunches mainly target the “six-pack” muscles in the abs, but they’re also great for improving posture, balance and overall stability, according to the trainer.
Crunches mainly target the “six-pack” muscles in the abs, but they’re also great for improving posture, balance and overall stability, according to the trainer. (iStock)
Having a strong core helps with all daily movements, from sitting up straight to lifting things without throwing out your back, he said.
“They’re not just about getting abs — they help with basic movements and can help prevent back pain, too.”
Getting started with crunches
Those who are new to crunches should take it slow and focus on good form, according to Ezekh.
“A lot of people make the mistake of yanking their neck or using momentum to do the move. The key is to keep the movement coming from your abs,” he told Fox News Digital.
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The trainer suggests starting with easier versions like partial crunches (lifting the shoulders a little off the ground) or bent-knee crunches, which are easier on the back.
“Start with just a few — like five to 10 — and build up as you get stronger,” he recommended.
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“And don’t be afraid to mix in other core exercises, like planks or pelvic tilts, to help build strength without jumping straight into crunches. The goal is to stay consistent and gradually get better.”
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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