A move that’s incorporated into workouts all around the globe, the sit-up can provide a multitude of benefits for your midsection. Strong abdominal muscles are important for our posture, for day-to-day activities and can help us with every aspect of exercise.
Sit-ups target several muscles in the core, not just the rectus abdominis, also known as the ‘six-pack’ muscles. Sit-ups also work the obliques and the transverse abdominis; the deep abdominal muscles that wrap around our spine for extra stability. Sit-ups also fire up the hip flexors, which help to flex your knee up towards your body.
However, when done incorrectly, sit-ups can cause pain and injury, particularly in the lower back. Because of this, it’s important to learn how to do a sit-up properly…
How to do a Sit-Up
A basic sit-up is simple, but before you start, make sure you have a comfortable exercise mat or floor space.
Lie on your back, with knees bent and feet firmly on the ground. Place your hands behind your head, or place each hand on the opposite shoulder, so arms cross over the front of your body, whichever feels more comfortable to you.
Slowly lift your upper body off the ground, keeping your chin tucked into your chest as you do so. Lift your body up towards your thighs, so you're essentially sitting upright.
Next, slowly lower your body back to the start position.
How can You Make Sit-Ups Harder or Easier?
If you’re keen to take your sit-up to the next level, incorporate resistance.
A weighted sit-up involves holding a dumbbell close to your chest or holding a dumbbell or weight overhead and taking it up with you as you curl your body up towards your knees.
It’s important to remember that a weighted sit-up places far more pressure on the back, so only add weight when you've mastered the basic sit-up!
To make a basic sit up easier opt for a crunch. Lie on your back, again with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your arms in the same position as you would with a sit-up, but instead of curling your spine and coming all the way up to sitting, just bend slightly until you feel a ‘crunch’ in the abdominals, then lower back down. A crunch will focus more on the rectus abdominis muscles, and after several crunches, you’ll certainly feel a burn in your stomach muscles.
A variation on the crunch, the reverse crunch is a slight backward style of a sit-up. For this lie on your back, with feet off the floor and knees at a right angle. With arms on either side of your body, lift your glutes off the floor so that your knees come closer to your face. Then lower back down.
The Benefits of a Sit-Up
Working to strengthen the core muscles is important. From getting out of bed in the morning to carrying the groceries and closing the car door, all these require your core muscles.
Plus, other exercises can benefit from stronger core muscles too. Take running for example: your core is needed as you power your body forward. When you sprint, a strong core holds you upright as you pump your arms and drive to the finish line. Weight lifting also requires core strength; if your core isn’t fired up when you’re squatting, for example, it can lead to an arched spine, and in time, injury.
Sit-ups activate and strengthen several of the core muscles, which can help with stability, posture, balance, and it also reduces your chance of pain.
When the core muscles are weak, other muscles in the body must overcompensate. This includes muscles in the back and lower body. If muscles have to overcompensate for other, weaker muscles, then it can result in injury as they end up tight and overworked.
Building and working on muscle strength is especially important for women as they age. When women go through menopause, hormonal changes can cause muscles and bones to weaken. Resistance based exercise, however, whether bodyweight or using weights themselves, can help avoid this. One study done on 93 older women found that those who could perform sit-ups, had less chance of lower muscle mass.
Sit-ups also work the spine and can help with mobility and flexibility. If you’re someone who struggles with flexibility, you may find sit-ups a struggle at first as they require you to sit fully upright. However, as with anything, the more you practice, the easier it can become!
Adapted from Toms Guide
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