crunch
Top
(krŭnch) 
v., crunched, crunch·ing, crunch·es. v.tr.
v., crunched, crunch·ing, crunch·es. v.tr.
- To chew with a noisy crackling sound.
- To crush, grind, or tread noisily.
- Slang. To perform operations on; manipulate or process (numerical or mathematical data).
- To chew noisily with a crackling sound: crunching on celery.
- To move with a crushing sound: crunching through the snow.
- To produce or emit a crushing sound.
- The act or sound of crunching.
- A modified sit-up having a smaller range of motion that reduces back strain and strengthens the abdominal muscles: stomach crunches.
- A decisive confrontation.
- A critical moment or situation, especially one that occurs because of a shortage of time or resources: a year-end crunch; an energy crunch.
- A period of financial difficulty characterized by tight money and unavailability of credit.
[Alteration of craunch, possibly of imitative origin.]
crunchable crunch'a·ble adj.
Top
(1) To process data. See number crunching.
(2) To compress data. See data compression.
Download Computer Desktop Encyclopedia to your PC, iPhone or Android.
Roget's Thesaurus:
Top
crunch
Top
1. vi. To process, usually in a time-consuming or complicated way. Connotes an essentially trivial operation that is nonetheless painful to perform. The pain may be due to the triviality's being embedded in a loop from 1 to 1,000,000,000. “FORTRAN programs do mostly number-crunching.”
2. vt. To reduce the size of a file by a complicated scheme that produces bit configurations completely unrelated to the original data, such as by a Huffman code. (The file ends up looking something like a paper document would if somebody crunched the paper into a wad.) Since such compression usually takes more computations than simpler methods such as run-length encoding, the term is doubly appropriate. (This meaning is usually used in the construction file crunch(ing) to distinguish it from number-crunching.) See compress.
3. n. The character #. Used at XEROX and CMU, among other places. See ASCII.
4. vt. To squeeze program source into a minimum-size representation that will still compile or execute. The term came into being specifically for a famous program on the BBC micro that crunched BASIC source in order to make it run more quickly (it was a wholly interpretive BASIC, so the number of characters mattered). Obfuscated C Contest entries are often crunched; see the first example under that entry.
Word Tutor:
Top
crunch
IN BRIEF: To grind or move over with a noisy, crushing sound.
Do not crunch your cereal so loudly that others can hear you.
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
Random House Word Menu:
Top
categories related to 'crunch'
- Activities and Treatments - crunch: sit-up in which one reaches out with arms toward bent knees
- General Technology - crunch: (vb) perform many numerical calculations and manipulations of data
- Gymnastics and Calisthenics
- Descriptions of Sounds
- Comic Sound Effects
- Violent Actions - crunch: grind or press with crunching sound; step on
See crossword solutions for the clue Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Top
Crunch (exercise)
The crunch is one of the most common abdominal exercises. It primarily works the rectus abdominis muscle.
|
Contents
|
Form
A crunch begins with lying face up on the floor with knees bent. The movement begins by curling the shoulders towards the pelvis. The hands can be behind or beside the neck or crossed over the chest. Injury can be caused by pushing against the head or neck with the hands.
Alternatives
Crunch exercises may be performed on exercise balls. Weights may be used, typically held under the chin, to increase resistance. Increasing the distance will also increase the load on the abdominals due to leverage.
The curl-up is taught by spine biomechanics professor Dr. Stuart McGill,[1] and he considers it to be a safer alternative to the crunch, which differs from the sit-up.[2] Dr. Stuart McGill has done extensive research on the effects of crunch exercises on the back, which can be especially harmful for those rehabilitating their backs from an injury.[3]
The New York Times Health blog referencing Dr. McGill in 2009 stated:
An approved crunch begins with you lying down, one knee bent, and hands positioned beneath your lower back for support. “Do not hollow your stomach or press your back against the floor,” McGill says. Gently lift your head and shoulders, hold briefly and relax back down.[1]
Strength exercises such as sit-ups and crunches do not cause the spot reduction of fat. Achieving "six pack abs" requires both abdominal muscle hypertrophy training and fat loss over the abdomen—which can only be done by losing fat from the body as a whole.
Differences between a crunch and a sit-up
Unlike the sit-up, in a proper crunch, the lower back stays on the floor. This is said by scientific literature to eliminate any involvement by the hip flexors, and make the crunch an effective isolation exercise for the abdominals. The difficulty of the crunch can be increased by lying on a declined bench and/or holding a weight on the chest or behind the head.
Variations
- The reverse crunch is a crunch done with the upper back on the floor and lifting the hips up instead.
- The twisting crunch is performed by lifting one shoulder at a time. More emphasis is placed on the obliques.
- The bicycle crunch is a variation of the twisting crunch performed by bringing together alternating elbows and knees, resulting in a leg motion similar to pedaling a bicycle. The bicycle crunch is the most effective in targeting the rectus abdominis and the obliques, according to a study done by the American Council on Exercise.
- The Thai crunch is performed by hitting the stomach after full contraction. This variation is used by Muay Thai fighters to condition the core to take hits from punches or knees.[citation needed]
- The cable crunch is performed while kneeling upright by curling the body to pull down on a cable machine. The hips are kept motionless.
- The dragon flag (thought by some to have been created by Bruce Lee) or simple "flag" popularized by Sylvester Stallone in his movie Rocky IV), called "dragon" after one of Bruce Lee's nicknames, "little dragon". Begin lying horizontal on a bench. The arms are used to hold the underside of the bench to anchor the shoulders to it to prevent rolling forward. The rest of the body inferior to the scapulae is then pulled from the bench. Beginning with legs flexed, the legs can be extended slowly to increase the difficulty of the movement (and tension on the core muscles) due to moving the weight further from the levers. Throughout the movement the knee and hip joints are meant to remain locked in full extension while movement occurs in the abdominal region.[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b REYNOLDS, GRETCHEN (2009-06-17). "Is Your Ab Workout Hurting Your Back?". The New York Times. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/core-myths/. Retrieved 2011.
- ^ McGill, Stuart. Low Back Disorders: Evidence-based Prevention and Rehabilitation. Human Kinetics Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7360-6692-1.
- ^ 3 worst core exercises for people with low back pain
- ^ Greg Wolbert Doing Bruce Lee Sit Ups, a 2007 YouTube video.
5. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise:
February 1998 - Volume 30 - Issue 2 - pp 301-310
Applied Sciences: Biodynamics
External links
 |
Look up curl-up in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
Top
Crunch
Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - mase, kvase, knase
v. intr. - knase, knirke
n. - knasen, afgørende begivenhed
idioms:
- when it comes to the crunch når det kommer til stykket
Nederlands (Dutch)
knarsen, knauwen op, (cijfers) verwerken, knarsend geluid, beslissend moment als puntje bij paaltje komt
Français (French)
v. tr. - croquer (pomme, biscuit), broyer (os) (animal), craquer (des noix), crisser, (Aut) faire craquer (les vitesses), (Comput) traiter (données)
v. intr. - crisser
n. - crissement, craquement, (Écon, Fin) crise
idioms:
- when it comes to the crunch au moment critique
Deutsch (German)
n. - Knirschen
v. - knirschen, knabbern
idioms:
- when it comes to the crunch wenn es brenzlig wird
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - τραγάνισμα, τρίξιμο (δοντιών κ.λπ.), στρίγκλισμα (φρένων κ.λπ.), (καθομ.) κρίσιμη κατάσταση
v. - τραγανίζω, τρίζω, τσαλαπατώ
idioms:
- when it comes to the crunch την κρίσιμη στιγμή
Italiano (Italian)
sgranocchiare, scricchiolare
idioms:
- when in comes to the crunch quando si viene al dunque
Português (Portuguese)
n. - ruído (m)
v. - trincar, ranger
idioms:
- when it comes to the crunch na hora do aperto
Русский (Russian)
грызть, сжимать
idioms:
- when it comes to the crunch в критический момент
Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - crujir, masticar haciendo ruido
v. intr. - provocar crujidos
n. - crujido
idioms:
- when it comes to the crunch a la hora de la verdad, crucial
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - knaprande, penningavtappning, kris (vard.)
v. - knapra i sig, trampa på, knastra mot, knarra (om snö)
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
嘎吱作响地咬嚼, 嘎扎嘎扎地碾过, 嘎吱作响地咀嚼, 咬碎, 扎扎地踏, 咬碎声
idioms:
- when it comes to the crunch 当关键时刻来到时
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 嘎吱作響地咬嚼, 嘎紮嘎紮地碾過
v. intr. - 嘎吱作響地咀嚼, 嘎紮嘎紮地碾過
n. - 咬碎, 紮紮地踏, 咬碎聲
idioms:
- when it comes to the crunch 當關鍵時刻來到時
한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 우두둑 깨물다, 처리하다
v. intr. - 우두둑 깨물다, 처리하다
n. - 짓밟아 부숨, 결정적 위기, 요긴한 점
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - バリバリかみ砕く音, カリッ, 危機, 肝心な点
v. - バリバリかむ, ザクザク踏む
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) صوت عضه شىء قوي, النقطه الحاسمه, المحك (فعل) مضغ بسوط عالي, عالج بيانات كثيرة بالكومبيوتر عند المحك
עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - לעס, גרס, מעך
v. intr. - לעס, גרס, חרק
n. - קול חריקה, לעיסה, אירוע או רגע מכריע (מדוברת), חתיכה
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Read more
Computer Desktop Encyclopedia
THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY.
All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.
© 1981-2012 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.
© 1981-2012 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Read more
Word Tutor
Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; sign up free. Read more
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; sign up free. Read more
Random House Word Menu
© 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier.
Write Brothers Inc.
All rights reserved.
Read more
Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary
Collins Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary © Anne Bradford, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008
HarperCollins Publishers
All rights reserved.
Read more
Wikipedia on Answers.com
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Crunch (exercise).
Read more
Mentioned in
Super Trucks
(Sports & Recreation Film)
Crunch/Screaming Symphony
(2000 Album by Impellitteri)
crunch time
(Idiom)
» More