Sit Ups

Great care and excellent technique are required to strengthen the abdominal muscles with sit-ups. To be effective, sit-ups must pull the torso upward from a lying position toward the knees using only the abdominal group. Often, however, other, more powerful, muscles (those that flex the legs and hips) do much of the work. This is especially true with straight-leg sit-ups.

Bending the knees during sit-ups helps neutralize the action of the hip flexors and makes the abdominal muscles work more. Even so, the abdominal group tends to be involved only in the initial phase of the sit-up, after which the hip flexors take over. Conducting sit-ups with momentum, knees bent or not, does not work the abdominal group. That is why raising slowly only part way works the abdominal muscles best.

Sit-ups also can be hazardous to your lower back, especially when using the straight-leg variety, which arches the back and may create overextension and strain. Twisting (right elbow to left knee and vice versa) at the top of the sit-up movement is not only useless, it places tremendous rotational stress on the lower back that can lead to injury.

Do not interlace the fingers of your hands behind your head as this will place a strain on the neck - place your hands on either side of the head.

When doing sit-ups, never push through back pain. Stop immediately at even the slightest twinge in the lower back.

Checklist

• Lying on back with knees bent
• Feet flat on the floor close to the buttocks
• Weight plate on chest and held by hands
• No jerking or twisting movements
• Athlete to exhale on the way upward
• Commence curl with the shoulders then the upper back and finally the lower back
• Bring torso up and beyond the 60 degrees position
• Hold momentarily
• Lower the torso to the ground
• Athlete inhales while returning to the start position
• Relax but keep abdominals tight and shoulders curled in
• Head and shoulders should not touch the ground once the set has started
• Repeat sit up

General conditioning exercises

For general upper body conditioning exercises, including variations of the sit ups exercise, see the upper body conditioning page

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Associated Pages

The following Sports Coach pages should be read in conjunction with this page:

• Articles on Performance Evaluation
• Evaluation and Performance Tests

Associated Books

The following books provide more information related to this topic:

• Advanced Studies in Physical Education and Sport, P Beashel et al., ISBN 0 17 4482345
• Physical Education and the Study of Sport, B. Davis et al., ISBN 0 7234 31752
• Essentials of Exercise Physiology, W.D. McArdle et al., ISBN 0 683 30507 7
• Physical Education and Sport Studies, D. Roscoe et al., ISBN 1 901424 20 0
• The World of Sport Examined, P. Beashel et al., ISBN 0 17 438719 9
• Advanced PE for Edexcel, F. Galligan et al., ISBN 0 435 50643 9
• Examining Physical Education, K. Bizley, ISBN 0 435 50660 9
• Sport and PE, K Wesson et al., ISBN 0 340 683821
• PE for you, J. Honeybourne, ISBN 0 7487 3277 2