How to do a Sit-Up
- Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Cross your arms on your chest or place hands lightly by your ears.
- Brace your abs and curl up until your torso is upright.
- Avoid yanking your neck or throwing your arms for momentum.
- Lower back down vertebra by vertebra with control.
Keep in mind
- Curl up one vertebra at a time rather than jack-knifing.
- Keep the chin off the chest and the neck long.
- Reach forward with the chest, not with the head.
- Lower with the same control you used coming up.
Common mistakes
- Yanking on the neck with the hands — cross them on your chest instead.
- Hooking the feet and pulling with the hip flexors — plant them and let the abs work.
- Falling back down — the lowering half is worth as much as the lift.
Breathing
Breathe out as you sit up, in as you lower.
Take care
Sit-ups load the lower back more than crunches do — swap to crunches or dead bugs if your back complains.
Easier and harder
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