Much research has been done on the effectiveness of different exercises and for whom they are of most benefit. Most of the work has been done by the Russians, especially Anatoly Bondarchuk and by various US coaches involved in particular sports. They know which exercises seem to bring about the greatest gains in relation to the competitive event.
But yet, it is not uncommon to read articles in which the same exercises are prescribed regardless of the athletes level of sports mastery, level of play, age and so on. This implies that the exercise is of benefit not only in relation to the athletes level of fitness, but also to game (sports) performance.
For example, is the crunch or sit-up a good exercise for high-level athletes and if so, is it most effective in general physical preparation (GPP) or in the specialized physical preparation (SPP) phase? Should it be done year-round or only for a few weekly cycles?
If the exercise is used in the SPP period, which sports skill is it used to enhance? Is the exercise used only to improve the muscles that are not involved in the sports skill or is it used specifically to strengthen the muscles that are involved in the sport but not in the same pattern as in execution of the sports skill?
These are questions that have not been answered not only for this exercise but for all exercises that are typically done by athletes and individuals involved in fitness. However, by answering these questions it will go a long way to enhancing the effectiveness of many exercise programs. It will also improve sports performance.
I would hope that this is what the national physical education (kinesiology) organizations would do in addition to working together with strength and conditioning associations for determining the best practical examples of exercise use. Sadly, I don’t see this happening in the very near future.
Not only are these organizations not doing anything of this nature but it appears they still cannot work together. In fact, the athletic world appears to get many of the exercises that they do from the fitness world. This includes the trendy core and balance exercises on uneven platforms, yoga, the plank and its variants, stretches and so on.
As a result progress in the improvement of athletes will remain behind. It will only change when more legitimate study and research is done on exercises and transfer of training. For more information on this topic see Build a Better Athlete and Transfer of Training in Sport.