Sit-up workouts target stubborn belly fat. They can effectively tone the tummy and burn extra calories.
Sit-Up exercises give work to the abdominal and other muscle groups like the oblique, transverse Aabdominis, and hip flexors. However, correctly doing them is essential to skip injuries. The proper method can cause neck pain and back injury.
How To Do Sit-Ups Correctly
Table of Contents
Appropriate WARM-UP AND FORM
Before performing sit-ups, relax your abs, back, waist, and hips. It will ease the pressure on your lower back, and spinal muscles, which help hip flexors pull as you do a sit-up.
Take your body from a series of slow, dynamic stretches that engage your Complete Range of Movement:
Torso twists
Stand with your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart and lift your arms to waist height, and elbow flexed. Twist your trunk looking gently on one shoulder. Come back to the middle and then twist in the other direction.
Side Bends
With your feet slightly shoulder distance, lift your arms and keep your hands back of your head. Face front and flex to the side, getting one elbow towards the waist. Straighten your body and then flex the other way.
Toe touches
With your feet at shoulder distance, lift your arms straight up above your head. Sweep down, flexing forward at the waist as you get your arms down to reach your toes. Flex your knees slightly as you lift.
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Basic Sit-Ups Steps
Lie down over a mat.
Keep legs at hip-width apart, flex your knees, and keep feet level on the floor.
Put hands on the sides of thighs (backside of head), and push lower back toward the floor.
Engage your core. Let your neck in line with your spine, look diagonally upward at the ceiling, and breathe in.
Breath out and use your core muscles for sitting up.
As you do this, your hands will slide upward from thighs to knees. Keep shoulder relaxed.
Inhale and gently roll back down toward the beginning point. Ensure your lower back is lying level on the mat.
Again, breathe out and sit up.
Perform 3 sets-5 reps before moving on to 8-12-15 reps.
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3 Basic Guidelines to Do Sit-ups Correctly
Always push your lower back toward the floor to keep it completely on the group.
Keep a rolled towel underneath if you cannot completely push the lower back toward the floor.
Do not strain your neck by tucking it in.
Keep fingers back and let arms open and avoid slouching.
Follow these guidelines while doing situps to stop the pain in the neck or lower back. Getting the right form also helps to target other muscles. Here are all the muscles working on sit-ups.
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Sit-Up Exercise Variations For Flat Tummy
Hands To Heels
Works On – Upper abs, chest, lower abs, shoulders, quads
Steps
- Lie down over a mat. Keep knees bent, feet flat over the floor, and legs at hip width.
- Keep lower back posterior tilt.
- Breath out and push your upper body up.
- Simultaneously, raise your hands above your head toward the sides of your heels.
- Breath in and roll back down toward the beginning point.
- Avoid tucking your chin and gaze diagonally up at the roof.
- Do 3-sets of 8 reps.
Butterfly Sit-Ups
Works On – upper abs, lower abs, and adductors (inner thigh muscles)
Steps
- Sit on a mat and keep your knees bent and feet level on the floor.
- Open thighs and keep the sole of the right foot opposite to the left foot.
- Roll down gently on the mat and stretch your hands above your head, look upward.
- It is the beginning point.
- Breath out and pull the upper body into a sitting position. Simultaneously, raise hands above head to beyond toes.
- Breathing and gently roll back down toward the beginning point
- Do 3-sets of 8 reps.
Straight Leg Sit-Ups
Works On – upper abs and lower abs
Steps
- Lie down on the ground.
- Keep legs at hip distance and above head, look at the roof.
- It is the beginning point.
- Breath out and pull the upper body upward into a sitting position.
- Keep your hands stretched above your head.
- Breath in and roll back down over the mat
- Do 3-sets of 8 reps.
V-Ups
Works On – lower abs, quads, chest, upper abs, shoulders, and hamstrings
Steps
- Lie down over an exercise mat, keep legs together, hands stretched overhead, and spine in a posterior tilt.
- Raise both legs and upper body simultaneously. Try to reach your toes. Gaze diagonally up at the roof.
- Breath in and roll back toward the beginning point
- Do 3-sets of 8 reps.
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Oblique V-Ups
Works On – lower abs, Obliques, upper abs, lats, shoulders, hip flexors
Steps
- Lie down over your right side. Keep your right hand stretched in the front side to support, keep your left hand stretched toward the ceiling, knees slightly flexed, legs together, and core engaged.
- Raise your legs and upper body and reach your left leg using your left hand
- Breath out and roll back toward the beginning point
- Do this 10 times before changing sides
- Perform 3-sets of 10 reps on both sides.
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Weighted Sit-Ups
Works On – upper abs, lower abs, shoulders, and chest
Steps
- You can perform this with a plate or dumbbell
- Sit down over a mat and keep legs at hip distance, feet level on the ground, and spine straight with shoulder relaxed.
- Hold the weight using both hands and raise it above the head. Keep elbows slightly bent.
- Roll back slowly and keep your spine flat on the ground and your hands are above your head. It is the beginning point.
- Breath out and sit up, do not raise your legs over the ground and keep back level. Do not tuck your chin and look diagonally upward at the roof.
- Breath in and go back to the beginning point
- Perform 3-sets of 8 reps.
V-Up And Tuck
Works On – Lower abs, upper abs, middle abs, quads, hamstrings, chest, and shoulders
Steps
- Lie down on the exercise mat, hands above head, legs stretched, and lower back over the floor.
- Raise your legs over the floor. Keep them stretched, it is the beginning position.
- Engage your core, raise your upper body on the ground, get your hands toward the side, and tuck your knees near the chest. Breath out
- Breath out your legs, keep your upper body back on the ground, and hands above your head
- Do 3-sets of 8 reps.
Banana Twists
Works On – Obliques, upper abs, glutes, lower abs, quads, and hamstrings.
Steps
- Lie down on the ground, legs together, hands stretched above the head.
- Raise legs and hands above the ground, engage core muscles and squeeze your 0000glutes, it is the beginning point.
- Sit up, get hands from above to near knees, following a bent path.
- Simultaneously, bent knees and do not drop feet over the floor
- Change toward the right and left without stopping, breath out
- Go back toward the beginning point, breathe in
- Do 3-sets of 8 reps.
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Benefits of Sit-Ups
Sit-ups are traditional exercises for core often added in exercise programs because of their effectiveness and simplicity. Below are the benefits of situps:
Core Strength
Core strength is one of the biggest motivators for performing sit-ups. You have less risk of injuries and back pain by tightening, toning, and strengthening the core. You will be able to move with higher ease as you do your daily routine and participate in athletic activities.
Improved Muscle Mass
Sit-ups build muscle strength in the hip muscles and abdomen. Sit-up performance may be a good indicator of muscle loss. According to research from 2016, older females who were able to perform sit-ups were less likely to get sarcopenia, which is the natural loss of muscle because of aging.
Females who were able to do more than ten sit-ups had a higher level of muscle function and mass. While these results are promising, more research is required to expand these findings.
Athletic Performance
Strong core muscles are helpful to improve muscular strength and athletes’ endurance. A strong core provides stability, proper posture, and form, allowing you to do at higher levels during physical activity or sports. Plus, you will be less likely to feel fatigued.
Better Balance and Stability
A strong core helps to keep the body balanced and stable as you move from your athletic and daily activities. They help your lower back, pelvis, and hip muscles to work together with abdominal muscles. Good balance makes you less likely to fall and injure yourself.
Increased Flexibility
Moving your spine helps to relieve stiffness in your hips and spine. Sit-ups make your back and hips more flexible, promote mobility, and relieve tension and tightness. More flexibility improves concentration, and circulation, lower stress, and boosts energy levels.
Improved Posture
Growing solid makes it easy to keep your spine, hips, and shoulder alignment, which helps to correct posture. It prevents pain and muscle tension and improves breathing and energy levels.
Lower Risk Of Injury And Back Pain
Sit-ups also grow strength in the hips, lower back, and pelvis. A strong core allows firm and solid center, less injury, and less back pain.
While it’s a common belief that sit-ups can lead to injuries, a 2010 research of US Army soldiers discovered that the exclusion or inclusion of sit-ups in an exercise program yielded the same results in terms of musculoskeletal injuries.
As long as you are cautious when performing Sit-ups, they are likely to be helpful and relieve back pain.
EXERCISE MULTIPLE Part of YOUR BODY
Sit-ups are a good choice when you have less time and need to be efficient with your exercise. Unlike crunches, which isolate your core, sit-ups exercise multiple muscles, including:
- Internal and external obliques
- Chest
- Abdominals
- Hip flexors
- Lower back
Hip flexors tend to be specifically weak in comparison to their antagonist’s muscles, and gluteus maximus. However, they play an important role in managing the pelvis and spine and safeguarding the lower back, so it is the best idea to strengthen them with some sit-ups.
Burn Calories
Because sit-ups target many parts of the body, they burn calories at a higher rate than a comparable workout. The numbers depend on sex, age, weight, and exercise intensity.
Diaphragm Strengthening
Sit-ups are the best way to rehearse diaphragmatic breathing. Situps lead to abdomen compression, which can provide a positive effect on the diaphragm. A strong and healthy diaphragm can enhance breathing patterns, improve athletic endurance and reduce stress.
Academic Achievement
Sit-ups may even have a favorable effect on academic achievement. According to a study in 2019, high fitness levels in kids were linked to high academic achievement levels. Students who had a high score in the situp segment of a test of 8 activities had higher academic achievement levels at the 2-year follow-up than those who scored low in this part.
These sit-ups will help to improve core strength and prevent belly flab. Apart from sit-ups, you can also perform crunches.
Difference between Sit-Ups Vs. Crunches
Sit-ups are different types of crunches to activate muscles. Crunches only give work to ab muscles. But sit-ups are a complete body exercise that focuses on the core muscles, chest, shoulders, neck, glutes, and thighs.
Tips On Sit-Ups
Beginners should begin with 3 sets of 8-reps and progress accordingly. To boost your routine, increase the repetitions number.
The key to growing core strength is the breathing method.
Take deep breaths and keep the pace slow. Focus on tightening the muscle and maintaining the position.
Be with your feet 12-18 inches from the butt and keep doing curl-ups. If I feel intensive, then increase the distance between butt and feet. This new angle between your abdominal muscles and legs will take you from some more reps.
Perform a low intense variation of the sit-up with an exercise ball to prevent pain from occurring by faster sit-up movement. It can help to lower the strain on the lower back. Keep your lower back strongly in contact with the floor from the movement to skip extra strain.
You can also include weight to intensify your site and challenge yourself.
Just take a pair of dumbbells and hold them in your hand. Weights are good to add in the Jackknife version of sit-ups.
Sit-up workouts are easy and satisfying to perform. They are best for burning calories and dealing with persistent abdominal fat.
Sit-ups can be performed anywhere, in the comfort of home or at the gym. You only need a mat and comfortable clothes to get started. They help to grow endurance, improve core strength, and boost your abdominal muscle tone.
Sit-up workouts have different variations and can get started with the ones you feel comfortable with. Progress slowly with the number of reps and the exercise type for good results. Ensure that you are doing the workout correctly as incorrect form can cause injuries or pain in muscles.