Hello everyone!
I was just wondering, I saw Valerie Bertinelli on the cover of People magazine and I read the article and she said she did 100 sit ups a day. I was wondering which was better. I had a trainer at the gym once and she told me to use the ab balance core disk, I was thinking about getting one to help me with my sit-ups.

So my question is, what would be more effective? Crunches,sit-ups, or both? I also do cardio four times a week..i do weights,and tone everything at the gym with the machines. I just really dont focus on my stomach...which is my problem area.

All respect to Valerie Bertinelli, 100 sit-ups per day is a waste of time. If you can do 100 you obviously have some endurance, but that's not working the muscle the way it needs to be worked to build strength. I'll also bet her form in doing those sit-ups is crap.

Exercising the abdominals is like exercising any other muscles -- correct form and proper resistance are important. Here's one of many good articles on the subject, with some good pictures to show proper form:
http://www.stumptuous.com/abdominal-training

I do just crunches but throw in sit ups once in a blue moon to change things up. Sit ups tend to put too much pressure on my lower back. Also it's important to do different kinds of crunches and twists to make sure you are working on the whole core.

thank you both!

Neither - pilates. It's seriously evil.

I picked up something from another user on here called "100 for Core", I think she may have made it up. I do 100 of something every day for core - planks or side plank (I count each second held as 1), crunches, side crunches, reverse crunches, bicycles, the one that I've seen people call 'peeing the dog', boats (got that from yoga and pilates videos), twists and side bends, 'superman fly' with lifts, others I can't remember even the knickname of... I try to mix it up a bit every day.

ETA - oh yeah, I also tend to do a lot of lower body and ab work on an exercise ball now. Also evil.